Page 45 of Beauty At Stake
I swayed on my feet.
“Seren!” Killian steadied me.
Star shot up and hurried around his desk. “Get her to a chair.” He took my left arm.
“I'm fine.” I waved them off. “Just doubting God. That's all.”
Star glanced at Sal.
Evidently, it was an unspoken order because she left without question.
“Sit down, Seren. Please.” Star waved at a chair.
I sat down and stared at my hands. Did I have blood on them because of Anu? Most definitely. But I believed the stains were justified. The Pearl Thief had believed he was doing good too, making all those wishes to help people. I would have agreed with him if I hadn't seen the imbalance it caused. He was a good man, doing good things that resulted in catastrophe. Only the Gods know what results our actions will bring. Which is why I trusted Anu. When he told me something was for the best, I believed him. That hadn't always been the case. Anu had won me over. He had proven himself to me again and again.
But now, he was back to shaky ground.
Or maybe that was just me.
Maybe the Gods did see the future and wanted the best for us. But Anu gave humans free will and generally stayed out of their way because he also knew that we had to forge our own paths. Sometimes those paths led us over a cliff. But what a ride. And it was our choice to fall.
Simply put, each child of Anu—be they Demon, Angel, or human—had to discern for themselves between good and evil. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, but their beliefs temper that responsibility. Morality changes for each of us. That's why the only person you can trust with the goodness of your soul is yourself.
I had a pure soul. Incorruptible. No matter how much I tried to stain it, it would remain clean. I could become the next Devil and still be pure. As evidenced by Satan himself. But was that an excuse to act against the tenets of my heart? The tenets and tenants. My husbands occupied my heart, and I was betraying them. Once more, I felt twisted into doing the bidding of the Gods. Maybe free will wasn't so great. Or maybe it didn't really exist.
The men were staring at me. Even Losuc, who still sat to the side in a chair with his drink in hand. I had to pull myself out of my spiral and get myself together. This was unacceptable.
“If Angels can have children with humans, why not Demons?” I asked Star.
He nodded. “As I said, it's possible. But I've never met one nor have I ever heard of the existence of one.”
“They may not even know who they are.” Kill looked over his shoulder at Losuc. “So, if he has a human descendant or even a distant relative, they could summon him?”
“Technically, yes,” Star also looked at Losuc.
“But he said she was a Witch.” Killian looked hopeful.
“He also said he couldn't tell what clan she was from because all he sensed was her magic.” I got up and went toLosuc. “Losuc, are you certain the woman who summoned you is a Witch?”
“I am certain she is human and has magic. I concluded she was a Witch.”
“Then maybe she isn't,” Kill said.
“Kill, don't let your desire for this to not be a Witch color your opinion.”
“I know, babe.” He stepped up beside me. “But you have to admit it makes more sense that she's a Demon descendant than a Witch killing her own kind.”
“I don't agree with that.” Star headed back to his desk and sat down. “Think about it. What are the odds that this woman is not only a descendant of a Demon, but also knows the name of the Demon she's descended from? That seems farfetched to me.” He waved at Killian. “Do any of your people know which fairy started their line?”
“I doubt it, but the farfetched happens all the time,” Kill shot back. “It happens so often with us that it's more like the norm.”
“Is there anything else in that book?” I went to lean on the desk across from Star.
“Maybe a note about Demon/human babies?” Killian added.
“This is a spellbook, not a history book.” Star looked over at Losuc. “It's time to release him, Seren. We've held him long enough.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
