by Jane Hinchey
“I think this is the first seal. It was created when this dimension was being made. There’s no way anyone would have gotten it past God otherwise. Whoever made it must have used the first seal to trap God, then went on their merry way creating as many as they liked.”
“How many seals are we talking?” Levi asked.
Ashliel shrugged, “Seven are documented, but there could be more.”
Seven. But Ashliel had only initially known about four. Who had set these seals?
“And how do we break the seal?” I asked. “What happens when we do?”
“According to this—” She indicated the screen. “This is the first seal which, when broken, will release the first horseman. The first horseman rides a white horse and will release disease and plague on Earth.”
“Why on Earth? Why not here, where the seal is?” I asked.
“Because these have been set up specifically to target—and hurt—God. And disease and plague are not going to harm you or your demons. But they will hurt the humans, and they are just as precious to God.”
“Man, someone sure must hate him,” Levi muttered, shaking his head.
I noticed she hadn’t answered the first part of my question. “How do we break it, Ashliel?”
“We need the blood of a righteous man.”
“Well, that’s easy.” Levi cut across the silence that followed. “I’ll do it. My blood should work.”
“This is fucking weird,” I muttered.
“How everything is falling into place, almost like it was planned?” Ashliel asked. “Yeah. It is.”
“Bit of a long-term plan, don’t you think?” Levi said. “You’d have to be okay with a slow game, waiting thousands of years for it to play out.”
“Do you think Destiny and Fate are involved?” Ashliel asked. “They’re good at this end-game bullshit.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. I thought they were Dad’s allies. They had a lot of input in creating Earth. Was it all a setup? And if it was, are they behind it? Or someone else?”
“You know the best person to ask?” Ashliel stood by the door, waiting.
“Dad.” I rose to my feet. We had to get Dad out of the prison he’d been locked in for thousands of years. Only he had the answers we needed.
“Wait!” Levi jumped up and grabbed my wrist. “You’re talking about destiny and fate and all that, but what if we’re playing into their hands? What if this is exactly what they want you to do? What if God isn’t even behind that door? What if it’s a trick? Or a trap?”
“It’s his robe. I’m one hundred percent sure of it,” I argued.
“It could have been planted,” Levi pointed out.
“It could have, I agree. But there’s only one way to know for sure—break the seal and open the door.”
14
Breaking the seal was deceptively simple. Levi sliced his palm open with a knife and placed it over the dragon symbol. I’d expected some sort of fanfare, the sound of something breaking, at the very least, but there was nothing. No lights flashing, no boom, or even the sound of a lock clicking open. Zero. Nada. Zilch. The door remained closed.
“Did it work?” Ashliel bounced from foot to foot, impatient.
“I don’t know. Did you feel anything?” I asked Levi, who still had his hand pressed to the door.
He shook his head. “Nope. Didn’t feel a thing. Maybe it didn’t break. Maybe it’s not my blood it needs.”
“Wait, wait!” Ashliel exclaimed. “Breaking the seal doesn’t mean the door will open. It just means we can open the door.”
“What?” I frowned. What was she on about?
“We have to open the door. It won’t happen on its own. As in, PUSH!”
She pressed her palms against the right hand side of the door and threw her weight into it. Levi joined her, placing his hands above hers, and sure enough, it started to move, groaning and screeching in protest. I joined them, and with the three of us pushing, the door slowly swung inwards.
The room inside was pitch black. I wasn’t sure if it was out of instinct or what, but Ashliel and Levi automatically took a step backwards. I stood frozen in the doorway, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. No horseman came flying out to trample us beneath the hooves of his steed, but then, we’d known the horseman wasn’t physically behind the seal. If the stories were true, we’d just released him upon the earth. I’d deal with that later, but for now, I had to see if my father was in this room.
Taking a breath, I stepped inside, and almost screamed when something touched my foot. Glancing down, I saw…was that a hand? An almost skeletal hand, resting on top of my foot.
“Dad?” Falling to my knees, I clasped the hand, running my fingers up past the wrist to the forearm, then the elbow, then up to the shoulder and across, to the head and face. In the dim light, I saw the mummified face of my father. “Oh, Dad.” Tears rolled down my cheeks, dropping onto us both.
“Is he in there?” I heard Ashliel say, but I was too choked up to answer. I’d found my dad, but it was too late. Bowing my head, I clasped the bony hand between my own, raised it to my lips, and pressed a kiss to the dried-up skin.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my heart breaking.
Someone had trapped him here all those years ago, and I hadn’t known. Hadn’t known he was here in this tomb of darkness, slowly withering away to nothing. Only he wasn’t nothing, was he? It dawned on me that he should have been a pile of dust at the worst, or a pile of bones at the best. But he was still in one piece, sitting up against the wall. Maybe he wasn’t dead. I allowed hope to blossom in my chest, and to test my theory, I sent a bit of magic into him.
It was all he needed. His flesh filled out ever so slightly, and he moved just a fraction, then a little more. I gave him some more magic, careful not to deplete myself, as I wasn’t fully recovered from stretching the dimension. What I hadn’t anticipated was the man’s instinct for survival. Before I could pull away or stop him, he’d caught my hands in his bony grasp and began sucking the magic from me in great, gulping waves.
“Dad!” I gasped, feeling it ripping away, draining me, dangerously so. “Dad, stop!”
“Lucy?” I heard Levi’s voice, saw his shadow falling over us as he stood in the doorway, tried to turn my head to look at him, but I was so weak.
“Levi…” I was hemorrhaging magic, my power draining too fast. I couldn’t sustain it or myself. The world spun. I could feel myself falling, then nothing—nothing but darkness.
“She’s waking up.”
I groaned, fighting to open my eyes, but it was too difficult. Wearily, I rubbed a hand over my face. Since when had my arms gotten so heavy? They flopped bonelessly to my side.
“What happened?” Surely that croaking noise wasn’t my voice?
“Your dad. He drained you.” Levi was by my side, his hand clasping mine.
I pried my eyes open with the utmost effort and squinted at him. “Right. We found him.” My lips split into a semblance of a smile. A smile Levi didn’t return. Instead, he looked…pissed off. “What?” I asked.
“We found him, all right. He drained you to heal himself, then left.”
“What? He’s gone?” I struggled to sit up, but could barely control my limbs. Levi pressed a finger into my shoulder to hold me down, indicating how weak I was.
“Relax. You need to heal. He almost killed you.”
“Where did he go?”
Levi was right. I was weaker than I’d ever been, dangerously so. I was vulnerable. This whole situation was dangerous, and again, I couldn’t help but wonder if my brothers were involved. Was this their attempt to overthrow me and take over Hell? They certainly wanted to dominate something, and since their attempt on Earth had failed, was Hell next? Trap Dad, knowing that when I found him, he’d need my magic to heal himself?
“Ashliel?” I croaked.
“She’s busy,” Levi told me. “She’s organizing extra patrols and monitoring from your office.”
“Good. But you didn’t answer my question. Where did Dad go?”
“He muttered something about Lilith and disappeared.”
I closed my eyes, thinking, although it was difficult to focus on anything. My mind was so foggy. Dad had said Mom’s name—Lilith. Was she involved, or had he said it because he’d spent his years in captivity thinking about her? Thinking about how much he loved her and missed her. Wanting her back, maybe.
“I have an idea.” Levi’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes to glance up at him. “Let me give you some of my magic to help heal you. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“You don’t have magic. You’re human,” I protested, closing my eyes again. So tired. So very, very tired.
“I’m a fire demon, remember? You bound me. I’m yours. You’re mine. You’ve healed me before. Now let me heal you.”
His words sounded like they were coming from a distance. I was fading, but I clung to what he was saying, trying to claw my way back from the darkness. He’d said something about a fire demon, but we didn’t have fire demons in Hell. Did we? I was confused.
What was happening to me?
Warm lips pressed against my own. Lips I recognized, even in my dazed state. These lips were hot, just the way I liked it, and I automatically granted him access, although why he was kissing me when I was practically comatose, I had no idea.
Then I felt it—the tendrils of fire that swirled around my mouth, down my throat, splitting off into a thousand different directions and burning through my body. It was ambrosia. I couldn’t get enough! Grabbing his head with both hands, I devoured him, my tongue dueling with his while his kiss revived me.
“Enough!” he gasped, pulling away.
I growled a protest, but he caught my wrists and held firm. Opening my eyes, I knew the flames of Hell were dancing in my gaze. I could see them reflected in Levi’s eyes.
“Better?” he asked, cocking his head to one side.
“Much!” His fire had saved me. I wasn’t at full strength yet, but I was functioning. He’d jump-started my magic, just enough that it could begin repairing itself again. Without my magic, I’d not only been dying, but I’d been empty inside. There had been a void where it was ripped away, but now it was returning, almost the same as it was, but now there was something different. Had my magic changed because Levi had infused it with his own?
Sitting up, I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and stood. The room didn’t spin or sway and I actually felt normal. But I also felt changed.
“Thank you,” I said. Levi had stood with me, and I placed a hand against his cheek. “For saving me.”
“My pleasure.” His grin was warm and inviting, and I was tempted, so tempted, to toss him down on the bed and ravish him. But Ashliel was keeping Hell safe. She’d known the realm was in danger with me out of action. So rather than toss Levi onto the bed, I laced my fingers with his and tugged him after me.
“No reward then?” he teased as I led him out of my bedroom and toward the elevator.
“Oh, there’ll be a reward.” I winked, stepping into the elevator and pulling him into my arms for a kiss as it sped us to Hell HQ. It took all of one second, so the kiss was far from satisfying, but each touch of Levi’s skin fueled my magic. The feeling was sinfully delicious.
“Good, you’re up.” Ashliel was standing in front of the multi-screen display of Earth, her eyes darting from one to the next, monitoring the situation.
“I am. What’s happening?”
“Well, your dad bailed.” She pouted, arms folded across her chest, clearly affronted. “I mean we found him, and you almost died saving him, and he couldn’t be bothered with a thank-you. He didn’t even hang around to check that you were okay. He just left.” She snapped her fingers, indicating he’d disappeared into thin air.
“Levi told me.” I tried not to let my hurt filter through into my voice, but I suspected it was there, anyway, from the glance Ashliel gave me.
“He said her name,” she replied.
I nodded. “Lilith.”
“Who’s Lilith?” Levi asked.
“My mom.”
“Your mom is Lilith? Isn’t she…evil?”
“You’ve been reading the wrong books,” I told him, shaking my head. “So many crazy stories were made up about my mother. She isn’t evil. She was just…lonely. She and Dad fell in love, then Dad got obsessed with his creations, and…well, he neglected her. Ignored her for long periods of time. Eventually, her love died and she took off.”
“Without her children.” It wasn’t a question.
I shrugged. “I don’t know why she didn’t take us. Maybe she thought we’d be happier in Heaven. Or maybe she had nowhere to go and no way to provide for us. I’m not judging her, and neither should you.”
He heard it. The tone in my voice. The one that said I would kick his ass if he dissed my mother. It was a touchy subject. I barely remembered her. She’d left when I was four years old. And yes, I’d missed her, had cried myself to sleep more often than I wanted to admit, but that wasn’t to say I grew up without love. Dad loved me, I had no doubt about that. The one thing that concerned me right now, though, was why he had left so suddenly. And why did he say Mom’s name?
“We’ve got incoming,” Ashliel said.
“Who?” Standing by her side, I examined the monitors. Then I spotted him. “Dacian,” we said in unison.
“Let him in,” I told her, pacing as I waited for the Seraph angel to arrive. I didn’t have to wait long.
“He’s back, God’s back!” Dacian said as he entered the room.
“We know,” Levi drawled from his position on the sofa.
“What? How?” Dacian seemed disappointed we hadn’t been all over him for details. I bit my lip, not knowing how to feel. I thought I’d be brimming with excitement that we’d found Dad, but his behavior—well, his immediate departure, to be precise—had me puzzled and not a little bit hurt.
“Because we found him here and rescued him.”
“Oh.” Deflated, Dacian lowered himself onto the sofa, taking the corner opposite Levi.
I recommenced my pacing. “What did he say? Did he tell you what happened?” I asked.
“No. But word spread quickly through Heaven that he’d returned. The streets were packed. I couldn’t get near Angel Towers.” He shrugged. “So I came here instead. The new zone looks great, by the way.”
I knew Dacian was trying to soothe my ruffled feathers and distract me from the sting of what I’d taken to be my fathers’ rejection. It kind of worked.
“Yeah, I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Too bad I have to change it, though.”
“Oh?”
“Well, sinners aren’t going to get five-star luxury and beach-front views.” Crossing to the window, I looked out at the stunning white buildings I'd created. It wouldn’t take much to modify them. A thought occurred to me. “Are the Pearly Gates open?”
“Yeah, and Heaven is healing. Everywhere God walked looks good as new.”
“Good. That’s good.” All those lost souls were no longer lost, and Dacian had taken care of the ones that had fallen. Now the only problem we had left was the white horseman we’d unleashed on Earth.
“Any sign of the horseman?” I asked Ashliel, not taking my attention from the window.
“Nope. I went back over the seconds when we broke the seal to see if I could identify any activity, but so far, nothing.”
“Maybe it isn’t true. Maybe the horsemen don’t exist,” I suggested hopefully.
“Maybe, but why put them in the book?”
“I don’t know. None of this is making sense.” Then another thought hit me. “Fuck!” I exclaimed. “Mr. Meow. We’ve left Mr. Meow alone.”
“Relax,” Ashliel said. “Time moves differently, remember? To that cat, you’ve only been gone a little while. He’ll be fine.”
She had a point. He would be fine. He was most likely asleep and hadn’t eve
n noticed Levi’s absence. But still, I felt like we’d abandoned Levi’s life on Earth. His shop. His home. His pet. A strong hand wrapped around the nape of my neck and squeezed, making me jump.
“Why are you worried about my cat?” Levi murmured in my ear.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just…I like your cat. It makes me sad to think of him there alone.”
“Let’s go back, then. All of this mess—” He waved his hand around. “—seems to have been resolved. God has returned, Heaven is open for business, and it appears the four horsemen are a myth. How about a little vacation Earth-side?”
Oh, it sounded appealing. So, so appealing. I was tired, and time out relaxing with Levi in his home was the perfect solution.
“Go!” Ashliel instructed. “I’ve got everything under control here. I’ll see to the alterations of the new zone, keep an eye out for any horsemen, and will let you know if anything changes.”
“See? Ash has it all in hand. What do you say?” Levi snuggled in behind me and nuzzled my ear, making me giggle.
“Okay, fine.” I gave in, but it hadn’t been much of a battle.
“Let me know if anything changes, though, okay?” I glanced at Ashliel.
She nodded. “Of course. Now go. You need to finish healing. I can feel your energy and it’s all off.”
“Is that what that is?” Dacian spoke up. I’d forgotten he was there, still sprawled on the sofa.
“God drained her to save himself,” Levi growled, his annoyance apparent. “I gave her some of my magic before she fucking died.”
“You have magic now?” Dacian was clearly confused.
“He’s a fire demon!” Ashliel supplied, her voice once more edged with excitement at this turn of events.
“What the hell?”
“Exactly!” She practically clapped her hands in glee.
“How did you become a fire demon?”
“She bit him!” Ashliel jumped in before either of us could answer, and I threw a smile at Levi, who shrugged as if to say “Let her have it.”
“What?”
“You know, claimed him as her mate? Surely you’ve heard of it, Dacian? I know your mind was wiped, but Lucy fixed all that.”