Offering me a deal? There was no way it could be so simple. There had to be some sort of motive behind this. He knew I ran, and there was no way he wasn't aware of the power I possessed. His father, the King, was the one keeping me under such tight watch, which was why I ran in the first place.
Andul was too close. His nearness reminded me that they were, again, trying to control me. I used my powers to push him back and moved closer to the demon prince. His name was Corton, if I remembered correctly. Corton was delightedly amused with the seething rage that had manifested on Andul's face.
"So, Demon, how long do you think it will take before the angel loses his shit?"
Andul had been moving towards Grande, but froze at my words. Golden eyes narrowed at me, threatening to burn me on the spot. Corton placed his elbows on the table and tapped his fingers together.
"I would say you could get a reaction in mere minutes if you tried. Though I would last far longer."
My jaw dropped. Was that a sexual innuendo tied in with his smirk? By golly, it was! Time froze as I laughed in amusement. Maybe this demon royal wasn't so bad.
I turned my attention back to Andul. "Your tricks don't work on me, Angel. Pretty sure you aren't supposed to alter time."
He stalked slowly towards me. I should have feared ticking him off, but the fear wasn't there. None of them scared me anymore. I didn't like the idea of Eden, but it wasn't fear of death. It was the imprisonment I rebelled against.
"You are still here right now because of my wishes. You are in this room glued to us because of your actions. You are nothing more than a prisoner with significant freedom."
I swallowed my anger and clenched my jaw. He wasn't wrong. Ever since my parents, I was under someone's control with rules and obligations. I'd gone through several keepers and guards.
"Controlling the minds of angels is enough to lock you away deep under Eden where you will never see the light of day again."
My shoulders went back and I lifted my chin. "You don't have anything powerful enough to contain me. Your King wouldn't create anything that could hold him."
He chuffed at me. "You think your power is anything like my father? At the end of the day, you are only half of us."
"The demons would never allow it."
"I can, and I will lock you up unless you can pull yourself together."
Pull myself together? Sure. I pulled my hand up and flicked him right between his eyes.
"Bad angel."
Not one of my finer moments. I didn't even have time to take a breath before he grabbed my arms and threw me down against the table. Wood cracked under my back.
"I am you prince and you will learn respect," he snarled.
"I must say, I rather like this position." I mimicked his accent. "Who knew the prince actually had balls?"
His body shook above me. Fury radiated all over him and it took a lot for me to control my own amusement.
"You will not go anywhere without my knowledge. You will not even breathe without first asking my permission. Do you understand?"
His face was inches from mine.
"That seems a little excessive. Regulating someone's breathing could kill them."
"I knew about you long before they brought you back. You can joke and act as though none of this matters, but you have nowhere to go. Your family is gone. You push everyone else away so that now your friends are few and far between."
What a bastard. I didn't need everyone to keep reminding me of my losses. I knew what had been lost and I knew I'd never get that feeling back. There was a permanent hole etched into my heart and soul.
My powers flared up with my rage, and I threw him off. I'd been running for two years specifically to avoid that bone crushing pain that my father was gone and I'd never see his face again. He wouldn't be at home waiting for me with open arms. He'd never pick up the phone and tell me how much he loved me ever again.
And it was all because that whore in the office couldn't let go of the fact my father didn't want her. She told her liege where he was hiding and gave away enough information to condemn him as a traitor without the chance of a trial. I would have rather died with him, but they couldn't touch me. They weren't interested in erasing me from the world the way they so easily did to him.
Ever since I was little, my father told me that greater things were planned for me. I was the first of my kind, and my powers pulled from both demon and angel energies. Instead of acting as oil and water, my powers wove together to become something new. A single thought and I could annihilate everything in the room. Just as quickly, I could recreate it.
My voice rose against Andul. "You don't have enough men to keep tabs on me! If I want to leave I will. If I want to destroy this entire fucking building, I will, and there is nothing you can do about it."
Andul got hold of my arms and shoved me back against the wall. His golden eyes flared, matching my anger. For a prince, he wasn't good at concealing his emotions. Though I wasn't one to talk either.
The breath of his words sent a shiver through my body. "I can choose your mate."
Dangit! I kept hoping they'd forget that. Without my parents in the picture, I'd become a ward of the crown. My fate rested with the kings.
I forced a smirk to my face. "No one is going to want such an outspoken and uncontrollable mate."
His eyes were like golden flames. "You should be worried about the ones who do."
The shiver that spread over my body wasn't the good kind. Just like humans, we had our share of dark and twisted people.
"I'll die first."
"You'd save everyone a lot of trouble that way."
That son of a… Fine. I would take his stupid test. He probably thought I'd fail and be here another ten years.
"Tomorrow, you take the test."
"And how are you going to explain away this lapse in time, oh wise one?"
He let go of my arms and stepped back. His face unreadable.
"No one needs to explain anything when you're involved."