The Divine and the Damned

AZRAEL

The unwanted responsibility of training Dawn fell to me. Dragos and Rafael were tied up with matters at the family company, leaving me no choice. I could've handled it, but I was still on leave, not that it was a problem, but Dragos had promised to step in. Yet, Rafael tended to follow wherever Dragos went, leaving me as the only option. 

Mother was adamant. She claimed this was the perfect chance to mend things with Dawn and argued that I was the better teacher, especially in combat. I couldn't talk my way out of it.

I found Dawn by the gardens, arms crossed as she waited impatiently. Her green eyes landed on me, thinning with the same disdain I'd grown accustomed to. 

"Look, it's not like I'm thrilled about this either," I said, crossing my arms to match her mood. "But your boyfriend and his sireling are occupied, and I'm your best bet when it comes to combat."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

My jaw ticked. "I don't think you realize the seriousness of this... of what's at stake." I took a step closer. "Dragos has chosen to protect you. By doing that, he's betraying his people… and so are we as his family."

Her irritated expression softened a fraction.

"We'll protect you, yes. But you need to learn how to defend yourself."

Silence followed for a brief moment, until a staff member arrived, carrying practice swords. I took them and he left without speaking. 

"Ready?" I asked, holding out one of the practice swords.

Dawn took it reluctantly. "Yeah." She muttered.

I eyed her grip, suppressing a sigh. It was going to be a long day. 

Her stance was sloppy, her shoulders too tense, and her feet so awkwardly close together. "The first thing we need to fix is your stance."

I moved behind her, ignoring the way she stiffened as I placed my hands on her shoulders, guiding them down to relax. "You won't last a second before it gets knocked out of your hand."

Dawn frowned, looking at the practice sword. "Do we really have to train with these? It's not like we're in ancient times. Wouldn't guns be more effective?"

I stepped back, tossing my practice sword to the ground. "Alright, then. No swords."

Dawn blinked, startled for a while. "I didn't say I wasn't going to train with them, Azrael. What I meant is, don't you think guns with wooden bullets would get things done faster?"

"What happens when you run out of bullets?" I asked casually. "You seem to forget vampires are quick."

Before she could respond, I moved to emphasize the point. One second, I was in front of her. The next, I was behind her, my voice mocking. "Before you can fire another bullet, or even think of reloading, you're dead."

Dawn spun around. She opened her mouth, then closed it, no retort coming to mind.

"Didn't you guys say I was some Divine being, with powers that make vampires so scared of me they could come for me? I'm sure things wouldn't play out that way." She huffed, crossing her arms.

I raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then. But you still have to correct your posture." I circled her. "Your stance is weak. Your legs aren't firm on the ground. Your arms are…" I trailed off, my eyes roaming over her arms. "… wrong."

I began to adjust her posture, but when my hands reached her waist, I froze.

My fingers brushed against her sides, and she tensed. I cleared my throat, my jaw ticking furiously as I forced myself to focus. But her scent was… alluring. 

Not the scent of her blood, but the scent of her perfume, her hair wash, her body lotion. Each fragrance blended, and I could smell them all together. It was almost intoxicating. 

I bent to her height, my face inches from hers. "Relax. I'm not going to bite." I said, and she shivered against me, so faint that I almost missed it. Almost.

From behind her, I reached out, wrapping my fingers around her wrist, stretching her arm forward, and guiding her into a fighting stance.

Touching her like this… training her, was something I never thought I'd do. I'd loathed her and she despised me. 

"Now, I can be very brutal when fighting," I explained. 

Due to our height difference— I towered over her by a good ten inches, my bent posture brought my mouth close to her ear.

"I fight dirty. I aim for places that cause sheer agony when hit. Like the…"

Dawn's elbow flew back, aiming for my ribs, but I caught her arm before she made contact.

"Nice try," I said flatly. "But you're too slow."

She glared at me, yanking her arm free.

"What?" I asked, confused. "You're the one who attacked while I was training you."

Whatever tolerance I had, drained from my body replaced by the familiar anger that always lingered in my blood.

"I don't have time for your antics," I snapped, bending to pick up my abandoned sword, wielding it easily in my hand. Then, I gestured to hers on the ground without saying anything.

She picked hers up, adjusting her stance just as I had corrected earlier.

"That's better, but you're still too rigid."

I raised my sword and moved towards her, not too quickly. Dawn managed to block the first hit but stumbled at the second. I didn't let up, attacking again and again, watching her expression turn to panic and fear.

"This is how vampires fight, with or without swords," I said, my attacks coming even faster. "They won't wait for you to catch your breath. They won't wait for you to calculate your next move"

"You're being an ass about it," Dawn snapped.

I ignored her, hitting again till her hold on the sword loosened, and as it fell to the ground, I swept her legs out from under her. She hit the ground hard, the impact snatching the breath from her lungs.

I stood over her, my wooden sword pointed at her throat. "And they won't hesitate to kill you, either."

Anger flared in her eyes, but she held my gaze.

"You enjoy this, don't you? Making me feel weak."

"You're wrong," I said. "I'm being hard on you because that's the only way you'll learn."

I tossed my sword aside and offered her my hand. Dawn refused, pushing herself to her feet on her own.

I stepped back, giving her space.

"You're a terrible teacher," she muttered, wiping sweat from her brow. "How did Dragos cope with you all these years?"

She took a bold step closer. "I've had terrible bosses before, met awful people at the places I worked, but you… you take horrible to a whole new level. Right from day one."

"You wouldn't understand," I said, looking away.

"Then make me understand!"

I turned away, my voice coming out softer than I intended. "I'm not the enemy here, Dawn. I'm just here to train you."

"But you were the enemy," she insisted, stepping in front of me again. "Am I supposed to just accept you as a changed man because everyone else already has? After everything you did to me?"

"No. I know it'll take time," I replied, my fists clenching at the sides in a bid to control my anger. "Listen, I couldn't afford Dragos having any more distractions. He just woke up from a four-century slumber after neglecting his duty for so long. You were a potential distraction, Miss Carter." I exhaled sharply. "I just couldn't let him fall for you."

Dawn's eyes narrowed, a triumphant smirk on her lips. "I guess you couldn't stop that from happening after all."

"No," I said through my teeth. "When I found out what you were… a threat to my kind, I couldn't stay calm. Can you blame me for that?"

"No, but if you weren't so stone-hearted, maybe you wouldn't have been so quick to want to kill someone innocent! I didn't even know I had powers!"

Dawn shook her head and turned to walk away. She took only a few steps before stopping. Slowly, she turned back to face me, her eyes less angry, like she was looking for something… perhaps a reason to hate me a little less.

"Even Dragos himself isn't as worried or... taken with his duty like you are." Her gaze held mine. "You sound so... desperate about it like something terrible will happen if he doesn't fulfill his duty. Like it's mandatory. You care too much... way too much."

I swallowed hard, fighting back the swell of bile rising in my throat. When I spoke, I forced my voice into the most casual, carefree tone I could muster, praying Dawn wouldn't catch the strain beneath it. "It's all I've ever known. It's all I was ever taught to care about." My voice dropped lower. "I was broken… made to take it that seriously. I didn't have a choice."

The remaining anger left in Dawn's eyes melted away. "Oh," she whispered. "I'm sorry," 

I shrugged, walked to a bench, and sank onto it. "What's done's done."

Dawn joined me. "I wouldn't be who I am today if not for them"

"Who?"

I shook my head. "Nevermind. I'm not talking about it"

She nodded in understanding, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I stilled at the contact, slowly turning to look at her. Her green eyes were compassionate.

Compassion turned my stomach. It upset me… and yet, now, it didn't. 

"You should hate me after what I did," I muttered. "I'd understand if you never forgave me."

Dragos never forgave me.

Dawn huffed out a breath, a small smile touching her lips. "I like to believe there's good in everyone, Azrael. No matter how small." Her smile spread, making me feel better. "You're willing to change. That means something."

What happened next shouldn't have happened.

The quickening of my heartbeat. A quickening I hadn't felt since… her. 

"No." I cursed inwardly. "Fucking no."