78. Violette
VIOLETTE
Somehow, despite having just eaten a giant burger, I feel even more exhausted now than I did before we arrived.
I fucking hate crowds. The moment we step out of the bar, I heave a much-needed sigh of relief.
The late autumn air is cold but refreshing.
The stars are relatively visible in the sky, and despite the chaos of the bar, it’s peaceful out here.
Levi and Azrael are two pillars of strength and solidarity beside me.
I love this.
I love us.
A wave of gratitude washes over me as we head towards Levi’s?—
“Hey, fat tits, why don’t you give us a moment with your husband and his pet giraffe?”
Levi guides me behind him as five of the humans from the table beside ours round the corner of a row of vehicles. Levi reaches into his pocket and palms me his keys. “Go wait in the truck, sweetheart.”
My teeth grind as I speak low enough so that only he and Azrael can hear. “You fresh fucking cunt, I will not go wait in the truck. Have you forgotten that I possess god-magic? I could set these humans aflame or drown them with little more than a thought.”
Levi huffs a laugh. “Not even remotely, but if you did, it would attract way more attention than we can handle.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Levi heaves a sigh, pocketing his keys.
Azrael rolls his eyes. “Let me handle this.”
Levi growls, and I can’t help but be a little surprised by the concern tensing his features as he hisses out, “Az.”
Azrael ignores him. Approaches the humans, hands raised in a placating gesture. “This is all wildly unnecessary, and we?—”
Samuel cuts him off by throwing a punch. Azrael catches it mid-air, looking mildly offended. “Rude.”
I’m frozen in shock, but Levi’s already pushing me between two parked cars. The desperation in his voice is palpable. “Please, don’t move, Vi. I will literally die if something happens to you.”
“You’re the one that’s human?—”
Godsdamn it.
He’s already rushing towards Azrael just as a melee breaks out. It’s a ridiculous sight. Azrael looks like an adult holding back several flailing children.
I groan, shaking my head, as I resign myself to playing audience.
Levi grabs one of the males who is attempting, and failing, to get Azrael in a headlock, and bodily tosses him on the cement in one fluid motion.
The moment Levi turns back towards Azrael, another male appears in front of Levi, and I have to admit, the ease with which he renders the human unconscious with nothing more than a single hit of his closed fist has my heart fluttering with admiration.
Said admiration is cut short as I let out a shrill scream, muffled by my hands, as one of the humans finally lands a punch to Azrael’s head.
My eyes trace his cranium as it sails through the air, smacking the hood of a nearby car, tumbles over the front of it, and hits the ground with a thud before rolling to a stop with Azrael’s face directed towards his audience–now gripped with horror.
They draw in a sharp, collective breath.
Minus the one who’s lying unconscious on the ground.
Oh…
Hellish. Fuck.
Azrael’s jaw flexes as he draws in a breath of patience.
“Will someone, kindly, pick up my fucking head before I finally lose my shit.”
I rush over to Azrael’s head just as the group of humans let out blood-curdling screams and sprint away.
I don’t miss the way Levi hesitates, hand hovering near the gun hiding beneath his shirt before rational thought returns.
He turns to hurriedly guide Azrael’s body towards the truck.
I climb in from the driver’s side, sliding into the middle seat.
Levi shuts the passenger door as my trembling hands attempt to guide Azrael’s towards his frowning head.
“There you are, darling. Right as a rabbit in spring.”
Something is definitely wrong.
And now there’s gravel in his neck hole.
Levi slides into the driver’s seat beside me. Shuts his door with a calmness that opposes the fury etching his face.
We sit in breathy silence for several moments as we watch the unconscious male on the ground, abandoned by his friends, stir, roll over, and crawl to stand before ashamedly hurrying away.
The idiotic question comes out as barely a whisper.
“Are you... alright?”
Azrael’s brow tenses further. “Oh, yes. I’m in ecstasy.”
Pain and remorse carve Levi’s features as his gaze slides to Azrael, lower to the dirt and gravel caking the gore of his neck, before pointing to the small horizontal door on the console in front of Azrael’s legs.
“Vi, I think there are some disinfectant wipes in the glove compartment if you wanna…”
Levi rubs at his throat.
Azrael clears his throat. “Let’s just get to this Airbnb, please. I think I’d like to have a nervous breakdown in private.”
Levi immediately shifts the gears of his truck and backs out of our parking space.
I glance back at Azrael’s shadow sitting directly behind him, glaring. We already know the reason Azrael’s neck isn’t healing properly is that his energetic body refuses to return to its corporeal housing.
I just don’t understand why.