Read Extinguish for Free Online

Being with him always added an extra spark to her Grace, the light and vigor inside of her at full blast as it stirred, replenishing, feeding off of his. It was like being plugged into an electrical socket, recharging her batteries as he gave himself to her.
    Michael came to a stop eventually and rolled them over in the grass, pulling her body gently on top of his. He held her, stroking the soft skin of her side, as she snuggled against his chest.
    The two were quiet for a while before Serah spoke. "Michael, what do you see in me?"
    His hand stilled on her hip. "You're full of beauty and grace."
    "Yes, but so are all the other angels. Out of all of them, why me?"
    "Why are you filled with so much insecurity?" he asked. "We found love together a long time ago. Why question things now?"
    "I'm not. It's just. . ."
    She trailed off. She didn't know what to say, how to explain it.
    "It's him, isn't it?" Michael asked. "It's this ludicrous assignment you're on."
    "No." She paused. "Well, maybe . . . I don’t really know."
    Michael rose up, his clothes back on in the blink of an eye, his wings expanding defensively as he towered above her. "Don't listen to him, Serah, no matter what he says. You can't let him under your skin. He'll manipulate you if you do. Not a word he speaks can ever be trusted. Do you hear me?"
    "Yes, and I know Satan’s a venomous serpent that wishes to poison us all." The words fell from her lips as if she were reading a propaganda brochure. "It's just—"
    She didn't have a chance to finish her thought before Michael yanked her to her feet and pulled her into his arms, his enormous wings folding around them protectively. "I can't bear the thought of losing you, Serah."
    "You won't," she said. "I love you."
    "I know you do," he replied, "but I know him, too. Better than anybody."
     
    Two days later, when the remnants of Michael had faded from her body, Serah made the journey through the gates again. She'd spent the morning venturing around Chorizon, watching the children play kickball at the school while the groundskeeper mowed the grass for the last time that year. The seasons were changing, autumn deep upon them with winter just right around the corner. It was business as usual, on Earth and down below.
    Lucifer was already waiting when she approached. Like every other time, she paused a few feet away as he took a deep, calculated breath, inhaling her presence.
    "Ah, the smell of lingering innocence and fresh cut grass," he said. "I'm not sure which is more of an aphrodisiac. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to turn me on—in which case, I'd say it's working."
    She ignored his off-color remark. "I have a question."
    He sighed, waving his hand brusquely. "Ask."
    "How do you know how things smell?"
    He blinked a few times as if caught off guard. Not the question he'd been anticipating. Serah smiled to herself, but concealed her satisfaction at knocking him off-kilter, not wanting him to catch sight of it.
    "I remember things."
    "How?"
    He sighed dramatically. "Just because I’m trapped down here doesn’t mean I have no connections up there."
    "But how did you know what anything smelled like to begin with?"
    It took a moment for it to register with him. "Oh, because I'm an angel, right? And angels can't smell."
    "Right."
    "They also can't taste," he continued. "Or feel."
    "I feel."
    He shook his head. "You don't."
    "I do," she insisted, hesitating before softly adding, "I feel when I'm with him."
    He stared at her peculiarly as something sparked in his eyes, the muted red flaring like a fire doused with gasoline. The sky churned in tune with it as if something deep inside of him controlled the stratosphere. "Whatever measly little tingle Michael offers you pales in comparison to real feeling. Angels know things. We're created with sympathy. You can detect pain and hunger and desire, and you know what they mean, what they need, but you can't feel them."
    "And you