Chapter 4 The First Gift

Weeks had gone by since the treaty was signed and heaven was running its normal routine. All except for Ashton, who was struggling to memorize every document that the library had to offer. He had all but forgotten about the demon king after constant reminders of the struggle that man would cause. There was more than enough time to settle down with any woman the council would give him. Not that he wanted one, but despite his newfound position, he had little rule over decisions such as procreation.

The castle library was littered with books and secrets galore. It was known all throughout the realm as the only remnants of what had come before the first archon war. The original peace treaty still lay in the position it had millenniums beforehand, untouched by visitors.

Dusty pages flipped silently. Words flew threw his mind at inhuman speed. He had been reading about the unwritten rule of pureblood angels. These angels were to only be royalty, however it came with a deadly price. Many of these newborns were ticking time bombs of anguish and destruction, having the power to level entire cities. Some never made it past infancy. This caused a very large shortage in heirs to the throne, with only one child surviving every millennium.

With a heavy sigh, the book was shoved back on the shelf with a thud. He had about enough of memorizing for the day. At that moment Ashton promised himself that he would reverse many of the horrible rules in place and if he was lucky, he'd abolish the angelic committee. It was run by old angels who had never left the comfort of their silk beds.

His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the large oak door. "Hey Ash, you have company," a guard called from the door, barely peaking his head through. The king nodded in curiously and headed to the door himself. "Who's here for me?"

"Oh I'm not entirely sure," the guards words were mumbled. Ashton's curiously peaked when he looked to the front door to see a young woman holding a vase of a dozen black roses. "Oh your majesty! These are for you." She hurried over to him and handed him the flowers, the confusion clear on his face.

"Who are these from?"

"Oh um... I was told you'd know once you looked at the card," she mumbled.

The kings confusion only worsened at her meek words. He thanked and sent her off to wherever she had come from, immediately checked the small white card that had been tied with gold twine to one of the many roses.

"A little angel told me you were a fan of roses. These were grown in my own garden. If you would be so kind as to give me a few moments of your time, I believe I could make your entire world.

                                   Sincerely,

                                    Damien"

The kings eyes widened like saucers, his face heating up as he read the note. "Your majesty are you alright?" The king looked up from the card to see one of the castle servants looking his way worriedly. With a quick nod, he rushed to his room.

Once inside the roses were quickly put on the stand, where his gaze stuck as he examined each rose. They were unbearably soft and pristine, the eerie black shade one that he had never seen before. Why would he be sent roses? How did the man even find out he liked roses? The clock ticked by as he stared at them in wonder, more questions flowing through his brain. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about the entire situation he had managed to get himself into. The demon king was attractive and known to seduce all, but flowers seemed out of character.

He decided that day that he would confront Damien himself to reveal his motives.