Sloth

by L-J Baker

  Michael wasn't stupid. He'd prepared for a time when Luc might confront the mage and try to get her on his side. He'd fed her lies and bullshit that fit what she already believed, so that she would never hear the truth.

  "What did he promise you?"

  "Excuse me?" Her head popped up and she turned in his direction.

  "What did Michael give you to work with him? Payment? Promises? What was it? Surely it can't hurt to tell me that?"

  "So that you can offer more?" She laughed. "You could never outbid him with your lies and deceit."

  Luc was a little sensitive to being called a liar, probably because he almost never lied. He put much effort into being honest and respectful, which is why he so rarely looked into anyone's thoughts, even though he had that ability. It felt deceitful and that wasn't who he was. Michael knew that and used it to get to him further.

  The guy really was a dick.

  "No," Luc sighed. "Because I'm afraid it's something important and he won't deliver. Hey, I get it. You're never going to trust me, but there has to be some way I can get you to at least doubt the lies my brother has told you. There must be one thing I can do to get you to take me at my word."

  "That ship has sailed, Satan."

  Luc cringed. Of all the nicknames he'd acquired over the years, that one always bothered him. There was always this negative view associated with it. Not that the others weren't often negative, but Satan just brought about more feelings of evil and cruelty, two things that Luc was not.

  "You don't trust me because I'm the devil and you trust Michael because he's an angel?" He was probably oversimplifying it, but that seemed to be the gist of her thought process.

  She didn't answer, so Luc continued. "But Azrael and Uriel, both angels, are clearly on my side. Yet you don't trust them?"

  Luc realized that Michael might have other angels working with him, he just hoped that if he did, Aivah wasn't privy to that knowledge. If she was, his point wouldn't be valid. From the look on her face though, Luc guessed she wasn't aware of any angels on Michael's side.

  Another mage, even smaller than the few he'd met, came over with a tea cart and offered Luc a cup. He graciously accepted and thanked the man. Once he left, he offered the cup to Aivah. She eyed it suspiciously, then took it, sniffed, and swallowed a small sip.

  "I don't know much about mages and your society," Luc said, as she continued to take small sips of the tea. "I'll admit, I've never been all that interested. Your population is small and keeps to itself, so I've never really had much chance for interaction."

  He left out the part about her being the only mage he'd ever had sex with, but did note it in his head.

  "I've spent the majority of my existence in Hell, where we don't see your kind very often. Your people live longer than humans, so you spend much more time here on Earth. This place is something you should want to protect."

  "I do, very much." She placed the cup down on a stone bench and leaned against the bars.

  "So I'll be completely honest." Luc swallowed hard and figured he just needed to bite the bullet and tell her. "This thing I'm protecting, it's called the Hell Tablet. It can be used to break open the gates of Hell, as in for good."

  Her eyes widened, but she remained silent.

  "I'm sure you don't need me to paint that picture for you, but I'm going to anyway." Luc paced the small area in front of Aivah's cage as he continued. "If those gates are broken open, anyone in Hell is free to escape. Nothing would be able to stop them. This means those who ended up there for typical bad deeds, as well as the most evil, violent, wrong-doers.

  They would be at liberty to roam Earth, causing as much havoc as they please. There wouldn't even be anything stopping them from trying to break into Heaven. They could literally do whatever they wanted. Who could stop that many souls?"

  Aivah kept her eyes on Luc as he spoke, taking in every word with at least a ounce of believability. His story was serious enough that she had to consider that he was being truthful, because if he was and she brushed it off as lies, the fate of the world could end up resting in the balance.

  "Consider this," he said, walking closer to her. "If I had something that could do that, and I wanted it to happen, why wouldn't I just do it? Why wouldn't I just use the tablet, break open the gates, before Michael could find a way to stop me?"

  She considered what he said, but said nothing.

  "Wouldn't it make more sense that I'm telling the truth, that it's Michael trying to get the tablet because he wants to use it, or for whatever reason. To be honest, I have no idea why he wants it. I hope it's not to actually use it, but I can't know that for sure. All I know is that it was given to me by our father and that's where it will stay, regardless of what Michael wants." Luc took a few more steps toward her. "Put your feelings for me aside and think about it, Aivah."

  Luc stayed there, close enough to feel her breath on his face, for a moment longer, then went back to sit down so she could think about what he told her. She had to make up her own mind. Either she would believe him, or she wouldn't. Even if she did, it didn't mean she would help him. He just had to hope she would.

  After what seemed like forever, Aivah walked back to the front of the cage and cleared her throat to get Luc's attention. He'd been dozing in the chair, overdue for a long nap.

  "I have thought about what you said."

  "And?" Luc stood and walked toward her, but stayed just out of her reach.

  "You make sense, but I still do not trust you. Even if what you say is true, why would Michael wish to harm innocents?"

  "I don't know. I don't even know that he does for sure, but other angels say he does. All I know is that my father wanted the tablet with me and Michael is killing to get to it."

  "Killing?"

  "Oh, did he leave that part out? He used a group of thugs, including some misbehaved demons, to rob businesses and private residences in my neighborhood as a cover. During those robberies, as well as a all-out attack against me, several people were injured and killed."

  Her eyes narrowed. "How can I believe you?"

  "Ask for a computer and look it up. Read a newspaper. I don't know. It's not top secret. This shit was all over the news." Luc's patience was wearing thin. He was tired and hungry. He might have had fun with the tiny woman, but he was tired of her already.

  "Look," Luc said. "You can believe me, or not. Either way, I'd like your help."

  "My help?" She raised her forehead and pressed her lips together.

  "Yes. I would like the rest of my brother's blood that you have. I know you needed it to do your magic thing, so I'd like you to give it to me. Oz would also like your assistance taking down your wards. He assures me he can do it without you, but things would go smoother if you cooperate. Let Oz know what you decide."

  Luc walked away without looking back.

  ***

  Luc stretched, yawned, and rolled out of bed. From the sun shining through his window, he estimated it was late afternoon. He'd slept more hours than he could remember, but he'd needed it. The month was dragging by. He was ready for a new one to begin. Hopefully Harley wouldn't take too long finding the next girl.

  He just needed to deal with his brother now, so he could enjoy a little lust.

  After making a pot of coffee, Luc checked his phone for messages. The only pressing matter looked to be Oz, so he called him back to see what he needed, but there was no answer. He shrugged, fixed a cup of coffee, and headed downstairs to see what was going on.

  Soft jazz filled his ears as soon as he made it to the stairs. The place wasn't especially noisy for that time of day, but it wasn't quiet either. Mostly the locals hung around that time, but as Luc scanned the room, there were plenty of faces he didn't recognize as well. Business was good.

  Az noticed him right away and waved him over. He was at the bar with Oz, while Harley buzzed around nearby.

  "I tried to call you back," Luc said to Oz once he made his way over.

  "I leave my
phone in the car. Never know who's listening." Oz had a drink in his hand and looked more relaxed than the last time Luc saw him.

  "What did you need?" Luc asked and settled on the seat next to Oz with his coffee. He glanced around for Uriel, but didn't see her. For someone who wanted to help, she certainly wasn't around too often.

  "To ask you what you did to Aivah." Oz studied Luc for a moment, then drank down half his drink. "One minute she is flipping out, swearing she will kill the lot of us when she gets out, the next she's telling me exactly what she did to this place so I can undo it quickly, and giving up her stash of Michael's blood."

  "I talked to her."

  "Well, you must have said the right thing, because it made my job a hundred times easier."

  Honestly, Luc hadn't expected it to work. He knew Aivah would be furious with him, and really, she had a right to be. But he never thought she would trust him enough to believe what he told her. Not that he wasn't happy about it. He was just surprised.

  "So this means everything is reversed?" Luc gulped down half his coffee, suddenly wishing he'd went with bourbon instead.

  "It does," Oz said. "It will take a bit of time for my work to settle, but by this time tomorrow, you should be set for phase one. The next thing will be to use your brother's blood to set up tracking and lure spells. That takes a bit more effort, but not much time."

  That was definitely good news. It was nice to finally have something go Luc's way. The past several months had been one shit show after another.

  "I better get back to work." Oz downed the rest of his drink and nodded to Az, then left to do whatever it was mages did.

  "You see Uriel?" Luc asked Az.

  "She was here earlier when you were in a coma. I actually tried to wake you, but you started talking about cybermen coming and told me not to blink."

  That was the last time he would go to sleep during a Doctor Who marathon.

  "Where did she get off to?"

  "Home. She wanted to talk to dad about something and she wouldn't say what." Az shrugged. "You sure we can trust her?"

  "The mage seems to think so. So as long as we can trust him, then yeah, I think we can trust Uriel too." Luc shook his head. "I'm so sick of wondering which of my family members are out to get me. Why can't we have normal dysfunctional family issues like addiction or incest?"

  "Would you really prefer incest?"

  "I would. Remember that cousin, damn what was her name, Selene?"

  "She literally drank blood under the moon." Az stared at Luc with a blank expression.

  "True, but she was spectacular." Luc let his mind drift to a memory of her and Az slapped his arm. "Hey."

  "Look, you need to keep your guard up. Just because things seem to be working out with Oz and Uriel is on our side, doesn't mean we're out of the woods. Michael is tough and he's not going to stop."

  It was strange to have Az being the responsible one. Luc finally understood how his brother could enjoy being a slacker. Although Luc certainly had never been one, he felt the need to escape some responsibility and just enjoy life for a moment. But Az was right, he needed to keep his focus, now more than ever.

  "I know and I am. All I did was sleep in for one afternoon. My head is in the game, so you can stop worrying, little brother." Luc mussed Az's hair, but it went right back into place.

  Az took a gulp of his drink then turned to look at Luc. "Hey, did you ever go see Ronnie?"

  "Keep your voice down." Luc glared at him and checked to see if Harley was within earshot. "And no. I made it as far as the street in front of her house." He left out that he'd gone to see her before the month with Talia had begun, but Az didn't need to know that.

  "I liked her. And Amanda… and Valerie. Talia I didn't get to know."

  "You didn't get to know Valerie either."

  "Not in person, but I checked up on you two a lot from the mirror."

  "What?" Luc practically spit his coffee on the bar. "You spy on me with that thing like some sort of peeping Tom?"

  "Sometimes." Az shrugged. "It's better than reality TV. I mean, it's sort of like reality TV, but only there's no producer in the background prompting anyone, or intentionally causing problems."

  "Unless you count Dad."

  "I seriously doubt he bothers with your love life."

  Except that he was trying to take it away from him, but Luc refused to make that an issue right now. Maybe once he found his soul mate, it would really hit him.

  Luc finished his coffee and glanced around the bar once more. "I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off. If we're going to be luring Michael here by this time tomorrow, I'd like a little relaxation beforehand. If you see Uriel, tell her to keep her ass around. Shit is about to get real and it would be good to have her around if she's going to be any help at all."

  "I was thinking I'd reach out to Gabriel, too."

  Luc was halfway off the barstool when he heard Gabe's name. The thought hadn't even occurred to him since he and Michael had always been close. Even though they weren't technically twins, everyone had always called them that because they'd been inseparable when they were young. Even as they grew older, they were close. For all Luc knew, Gabriel was already around helping Michael.

  "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

  "I've considered that, but I still think it's worth a try. You okay with that?"

  Was he? Luc wasn't sure he wanted to have confirmation that another sibling was against him. He may never have been close with Gabe, but he still wanted to think that he wasn't planning a war with him.

  But it was better to know, wasn't it?

  "I suppose so. Better do it fast, and maybe don't bring him here, you know, just in case."

  "Got it." Az nodded and walked away with his phone in his hand.

  Luc headed back to his apartment. He was going to take one damn night to himself. Even if it was the last chance he got.

  ***

  Talia stood at the door, balancing beers in one hand, and a pizza in the other. Only a few weeks earlier, Luc had shown up at her apartment doing the exact same thing. So much had changed since then. She'd changed. At least she was trying to.

  Luc pulled open the door, smiling and shirtless. She tried to keep her face from heating, but there was no way to stop it. The man was damn fine. Just because they were only friends, didn't mean she couldn't appreciate what an amazing specimen of manhood he was.

  "Let me help you with that." Luc took the pizza and kicked the door closed behind her. "Make yourself comfortable while I go put a shirt on."

  "Yeah, good idea." She stuck her tongue out and flopped herself onto his sofa while he disappeared for a moment.

  "Sorry," he called from the bedroom. "It's been a lazy day." He returned in a plain gray t-shirt. She had to do a double take. It was hard to imagine Luc dressed casually, but even in a tee, he was sexy.

  Good thing they were just friends.

  "I'm glad you called. I was going out of my mind with work. A break was definitely in order."

  Luc hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to her. "Same here. I remember when all I did was have fun, and now, all I do is work and take care of responsibilities. I've been so stressed out."

  He gave her a sideways look that she took as something like 'why did I just say that'. It was sweet and endearing. She understood what it was like to have trouble being vulnerable and she felt that same thing off him. Maybe it was why they bonded so easily.

  "Well, grab a beer and some pizza because I brought some comedies to relieve both our stress."

  Luc smiled at her. It was his half-mouth, sexy as hell smile, that meant he was thinking dirty thoughts. She slapped his arm.

  "Keep your mind out of the gutter and open me a beer."

  He obliged, twisting off the top and handing her a bottle. She reached into the box and pulled out a slice of pizza for each of them. It had cooled just enough not to pull the cheese off, but was still warm enough to be gooey. Not that it matter
ed. Talia would eat it cold and be just as happy. Pizza was like crack.

  "I'm really glad you came over." Luc pulled her against him, so her back was leaning on his chest, and she nuzzled into him. It was a perfect fit and she felt completely safe there.

  "Me too."

  They devoured the pizza and beer, then another few beers from Luc's fridge, and watched two movies. Luc made commentary through both, making her laugh so much her chest hurt by the end of the night. When it came time to go home, he told her to stay. She did, on the couch this time, and he covered her with a blanket, then retreated to his own bed.

  There was no pressure, no stress, just easy friendship. It was exactly what she needed in her life. And one day, when she was ready to start dating again, she would call Luc to tell him about it. There would be no dates between them though. She would call because he would be the one she wanted to tell all about it to and he would be excited for her.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Luc laid in bed for a long time last night, not wanting to fall asleep. He could hear Talia breathing from his couch, and it calmed him just enough to be able to lay there, rather than pace his apartment waiting for dawn. Spending the night with her, as friends, was exactly what he needed.

  Normally, when Luc was stressed, or had just about any other emotion, he turned to sex, usually with whoever was nearby, to take his mind off it. It did the trick, without a doubt. But hanging out with Talia, watching movies and laughing, did too. Maybe even a little better, at least this time.

  Eventually, he'd fallen asleep, and slept without disturbing dreams for the first time that week. He woke rested, and before he was thrust back to reality, excited to start the day. Talia had already left by the time he wandered out of his bed and made a pot of coffee. She left a note stuck to his fridge, saying that she had fun and they would do it again soon.

  Today was the day Oz would be finished with his work. If everything worked out the way they hoped, it would lure Michael there. They would have their showdown. Someone would win and someone would lose. There was no way to know if Michael would take the bait right away, or at all, but Oz seemed to think it would work, and he had a lot riding on it, so Luc was optimistic.