DESCENDED

BAPTIZED

With Sebastian nowhere to be found, I pour my heart and soul into learning the bible. And the more I read the more glued to the pages I become. There's so much history between those pages that I don't know how anyone can go throughout life without ever reading it at least once. It doesn't hurt having Samuel at my side to act as the perfect distraction, either.

Especially when he opens up to me about his past. Because the more I learn about Samuel, the more he intrigues me.

Like Sebastian, he fell from grace and was banished from heaven until he could prove himself worthy of being allowed back in. And he's been on earth ever since. Thousands of years to be exact.

And his rivalry with Sebastian goes back just as far...

According to Sam, he and Sebastian have always been competitive with one another. Fighting for position, power, and stature.

In the hopes of finally beating Sebastian at something, he gave into darkness, hoping it would give him an edge. And it did... for a while. But then it started to consume him. He became so drunk with power that he convinced his friends to follow him when he joined Satan's army.

But they were in way over their heads.

They went to war against Gabriel and Sebastian and lost. When Sebastian was told to kill Sam... he couldn't. That night Sebastian saved not just his life, but his friend's lives too. Telling Sam and his friends that even though he was intent on allowing his soul to be submerged in darkness, he was allowing him to live so he will hopefully find the light again. And that if he didn't, the next time they met on a battlefield, Sebastian would kill him and put him out of his misery.

That was a wakeup call for Sam.

"Ready for a break from all that reading and studying?" Sam asks.

"Sure," I smile.

He motions for me to follow him, and he takes me to an empty room in the girl's home. Inside, a private meal is setup for the two of us.

"You really know how to cheer a girl up."

"Yeah, well, I just figured you could use the break. You've been trying really hard, and I think your hard work deserves some reward."

"Thank you," I pull him into a hug.

Samuel is the only bright spot in my day nowadays. And he's the only one who treats me like a person rather than an object. He never pressures me when I'm having a bad day either.

"Have you ever used or been told what dark power is?" Sam asks.

"No, what is it?" I frown.

"As an Angel you have access to both dark power and light power. The dark power is the ability to take life whereas light power is the ability to give it. When battling a Messenger, dark power is key to bringing them down," he explains. "And as powerful as you are, you could drop a Messenger in a matter of seconds if you learned how to use it."

"No one has said anything to me about dark power."

"Of course, they wouldn't. Dark power can be very seductive and addicting. If you got involved in dark power before you were ready, it could consume you. And you'd be lost to us. They don't think you're ready."

"If it will help me stop Messengers, then I want to learn." I insist.

"Amariah would be upset with me if I taught you to harness dark power," Sam rakes a worried hand through his hair.