"You ca to and told you were interested, and I plainly told you that I wasn't. You don't get to tell I'm ungrateful because I never asked you for anything. You did it all yourself!"
Cleopatra narrowed her eyes.
"You better watch your tone with , Azrael."
Azrael shook his head with an amused laugh.
"What are you going to do? Beat to a pulp in front of everyone here? Look, I don't mind being friends with you, you're not a bad person. But you don't get to dictate who I can be with and who I can't. You are not the dictator of my life. So please, I'll be excusing myself now. Thank you, goodbye."
And with that, Azrael turned and started to head back to the bar.
Behind him, Cleopatra was staring at his retreating figure in surprise. So of the demigods who had heard Azrael's rant were shuffling nervously while whispering and glancing at Cleopatra.
Cleopatra had never had anyone talk to her like that before, and so she was unable to process the fact that it just happened for a few seconds.
But then, a smile began to spread on Cleopatra's face as her eyes hardened.
This was exactly the sort of person that Cleopatra wanted in her life. Soone who would not be afraid to talk back to her and tell her she was wrong, even though the person knew she was far more powerful than him.
Soone who wasn't afraid of her.
Cleopatra decided to allow Azrael to go just for tonight. After all, there was still plenty of ti to make him fall for her.
…
On the other side of the hall, Maddison was cornered by her brother.
Maddison's brother was nad Jas. He was two years younger than her, at fourteen, but he had a tall stature and a mature attitude that allowed him to hang around with mbers of society who were much older than him.
It was this maturity that allowed him to get an invite from Sunny to co to the party.
"What the hell did you do to Sunny? He told he was disappointed in you, are you trying to fuck up my relationship with him?"
Jas had cornered Maddison at the edge of the room where no one was paying them any attention, and Maddison had a glare on her face as her brother reprimanded her.
Maddison spoke back in irritation.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Your relationship with him is none of my business."
Jas grabbed Maddison's hand angrily and Maddison glared at him!
Jas was not a demigod, so he lacked the strength that all demigods had, so Maddison had enough strength to drag her hand away from him if she wanted.
But she knew that doing that would hurt him and bring down the ire of her parents, so she forced herself to remain still as Jas continued.
"Look, I don't care what the hell is going on in that head of yours. But we need this relationship with Sunny. You're not going to amount to anything, and our relationship with other demigods is the only way we can stake a claim in the Celestial world. Whoever this Azrael fellow is that you're dating, you better leave him before things get out of control—"
"You have no right to tell who I can be with."
Maddison snarled at her brother and her brother returned the gesture with even more heat!
"Do you want Dad to hear this, you devil!? Do you know what he'll do to you!?"
Maddison flinched once Jas ntioned her father and she seed to lose all the wind in her sails as she deflated in defeat.
Jas smiled once he saw this and he was about to speak up again, but a voice from behind stopped him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to my girlfriend?"
Jas turned around in shock and he took a weary step back as he saw the much taller boy standing behind him.
Azrael glared down at Jas with heated eyes and Jas cleared his throat and spoke.
"This is a family matter, don't involve yourself, outsider."
Azrael grabbed Jas by the shirt and dragged him closer so that he could whisper directly at his face, and Jas was shocked when he felt his feet leave the ground.
"I'm only going to let this go one ti, but if I ever hear you speak to Maddison like this again, I'll co find you myself and I'll end your pathetic existence."
Azrael shoved Jas back and Jas stumbled before catching himself roughly.
Jas glared at Azrael angrily and turned to Maddison.
"You're just going to let him talk to like that?"
Maddison didn't even bother responding to her brother. Azrael put his hand out toward her and she took it, walking over to his side.
Jas growled angrily before turning to leave.
"Just prepare yourself. Mum and Dad will definitely hear about this."
Azrael and Maddison watched him go, and once he disappeared into the crowds, Azrael turned to Maddison.
"Why won't you stand up to him?"
Maddison looked down at the ground and Azrael felt her tighten her hold on his hand.
Azrael decided to change the topic.
"Do you see Harold Sabastine, over there..."
Azrael motioned with his chin toward where Harold was speaking with so other demigods.
Sunny was also standing close to him and there were multiple won trying to get Sunny's attention by laughing loudly at sothing he was saying.
Maddison nodded and Azrael pulled Maddison closer so no one else would hear what was said.
Maddison was hugging Azrael's chest with her head on his shoulder and Azrael leaned down and spoke into her ear.
"I need you to make him leave for the bathroom. I'll be going ahead soon, and once I leave, I need you to create a distraction big enough to force him out. Can you do it?"
Maddison felt a blush rising on her face when she felt Azrael's breath against her ear, but she forced it down and glanced toward Harold again.
Maddison thought about many possible ways to make him leave the hall and she knew that all of them were going to draw attention to her.
But Maddison had already promised Azrael that she would do anything to help him, so she wasn't going to back out now.
Maddison nodded and Azrael thanked her as the lights in the room began to dim once more.
The music increased in volu softly and many demigods began to pair up as they moved towards the dancefloor for a slow waltz.
Many girls tried to get Sunny's attention for a dance, and Rachael, the vice-captain of B Class, was smiling at the side with so of her friends as she expected Sunny to co towards her.
But her smile died out when she saw Sunny take the hand of another demigod, a second year from Divine Academy, and lead her toward the dance floor.
Harold Sabastine also took the hand of one of the girls there and led her to the floor.
Maddison swallowed nervously as she looked up at Azrael and Azrael imdiately knew what she wanted from him.
Maddison wanted to dance, but Azrael didn't know if he could do it.
"I've never danced before. I might step on you."
Maddison shook her head.
"I-It's fine. I don't mind. I'll… I'll teach you."
Azrael sighed silently as he turned around to see multiple demigods all moving about the dancefloor like swaying ocean waves, and he decided that dancing would be a good way to keep an eye on Harold.
Azrael stepped back and offered Maddison his hand, and the smile Maddison gave him at that mont was enough to make his cold heart skip a beat.
Maddison put her black-gloved hand into his own and she followed behind him calmly as they made their way to the dancefloor.
Waltzing was a strange phenonon as far as Azrael was concerned.
On one hand, it was seen as a very demanding form of dance where you had to ensure you were conscious of both yourself and your partner while moving to the rhythm of the song.
And on the other hand, it was seen as one of the easiest forms of dance, where only two steps could be stretched out to infinity and repeated for as long as the dancers wanted.
These two steps were what a beginner like Azrael had to learn.
Azrael and Maddison got to the dancefloor and he swung her around to face him. Azrael positioned himself so that he was keeping an eye on Harold, and he made sure that Harold was preoccupied with dancing before he focused on Maddison.
Maddison put her free hand on Azrael's shoulder and Azrael's hand traveled across her waist and settled just beneath her ribs.
A small shiver vibrated beneath Azrael's hand when he touched Maddison and Azrael realized that Maddison was shaking from his touch.
She looked up at him with a small blush on her face and Azrael felt all the emotions he had felt for her since the day he first spoke to her coming back to him.
She was breathtaking.
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