The worst of the worst. The bachelor party from literal Hell.
Michael was studying me thoughtfully, as if gauging whether or not I was faking my surprise. “A little over three weeks ago, we believe, although they kept an extremely low profile. Gabriel thinks it is because they are plotting to make Kansas City their new home. Heaven will not stand for this. We already lost St. Louis to Nate Temple and his heathens.”
I snorted indelicately, still shaken by my own dilemma. Hell had concocted a clever way to take over—marry the White Rose and blackmail her into handing over the keys to the city.
“I thought it was why you truly called me here.”
“Isn’t that a major dereliction of duties? Shouldn’t you have sensed that kind of thing?” I demanded, trying not to panic.
“Yes. I should have. Which is one reason Gabriel has taken a more active role. I will run the war—if it comes to that—Gabriel will manage everything until that point.” He paused, eyeing me warily. “He told me not to trust you. That you had been compromised. He is concerned about the Spear of Destiny.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered. It was a plausible concern for anyone who didn’t know me. I was the new Dracula. I was goddaughter to Greater Demons. I was hosting their wedding—practically throwing a party to welcome the Seven Sins home. And when Heaven found out about Legion’s offer…
Ho’ boy.
I quickly comprehended that I’d been very cleverly put into an impossible situation. Legion making his master’s offer had put me in the untenable position of looking guilty no matter what I did.
If Heaven found out I had been proposed to and had chosen not to tell them—guilty.
If I told them I had been proposed to—guilty by association. Lock her up just to be safe.
My city would be immolated one way or another—by Heaven or Hell really made little difference.
Is it wrong that I briefly sent up a prayer, hoping that my groom-to-be wasn’t Sloth or Gluttony?
Sue me.
Michael stared into my eyes; they burned with hatred for his brothers, and compassion for me—which made the situation so much worse. “We’re talking dozens upon dozens of demons, Callie. The Seven and their armies, all hiding in Kansas City, waiting for something big. The Seven are not like any demons you have ever faced, Callie,” he said, pleadingly. “These are real demons. Not like Samael and Lilith who have been somewhat domesticated by their time on Earth. These demons are fresh from Hell. They will want to celebrate their newfound freedoms in a riot of debauchery, bloodshed, and terror. To make up for lost time. At. Your. Wedding.”
I dismissed the instinctive shiver that rolled down the back of my neck. His words had been accidentally accurate—my wedding—even though he had meant Samael and Lilith’s wedding.
My biggest concern was what had so drastically changed Michael from the last time I’d seen him. Sure, we’d butted heads, but we had ended on good terms. Somewhat. But he was acting more emotional than when I’d seen last time. He’d almost been robotic in his previous attempt to be human. Was he truly that frightened of the Seven Sins?
He was an archangel. Shouldn’t he have been excited to finally polish off his sword and commence with the pokery? Michael was not the same man from the stories. He was not even the same man I had met in recent years. Which confirmed another thing. Gods from other pantheons were also acting erratically and fighting over Missouri real estate. Those other pantheons were not the only ones participating in this Omega War.
Heaven and Hell would have to pick a side as well. Some of their number might have already done so, already accepted the enticing bribes of the elusive Masters. It was the only explanation that made sense.
“You can understand my concern,” he said, pouncing upon my silence, thinking he was proving his case. “The Spear of Destiny is too powerful to leave in your hands—where a demon might take it, or you. It might be the only reason your city still stands.” He took another step. “It might be your city’s only hope for survival, Callie. As your friend, I am asking you to make a gesture of goodwill so that I can keep your city safe,” he said, holding out his hand.
It was obviously not a request. I shook my head and pursed my lips. “No.” Then I squared my shoulders, knowing what my defiance would cost me—our friendship, for one, and that was the hardest part.
Because he wouldn’t see that until much, much later. After the damage was done.
Yet it was necessary. The moment I had set foot in Kansas City, Legion had lured me into the encounter outside the ice cream parlor, which made me absolutely certain that he had eyes on me—especially now that he’d delivered his boss’s marriage proposal.
If Legion or any of his cronies were spying on me right now, and saw me meekly giving in to Team Halo-riffic, the demons would destroy my city—or try to kidnap me—before Michael even knew what was happening. I had to keep both sides thinking I was allied with the other. It was the most dangerous option for me, but the safest option for my city.
The only way to make that convincing was to openly stand up to Michael right now—or run away.
“The answer is no. Come any closer and I’ll dent your halo or die trying. Either way, you won’t get the Spear. It chose me, not the archangels.”
He clenched his jaw, looking torn. “Then you leave me no choice,” he growled. “If you will not hand it over, I must take you away for your own good. Remove you from the board.”
I slipped out of the swing, backpedaling a few paces. “You need to tell me why it’s so important,” I said, recalling Ryuu’s comment about the Spear not being a weapon. Because complying with Michael seemed like the kind of thing my mother had wanted to prevent. Was this what my mother had been trying to protect? My right to keep the Spear?
Michael didn’t chase me. He looked…troubled. Not necessarily guilty, but secretive.
“And don’t give me the tired excuse about it being a Holy Relic. You missed that boat by two thousand years. It was already broken once, and no one seemed to care. As soon as I got my hands on it and managed to fix it, suddenly everybody starts freaking out. It’s all rather suspicious. Especially when only your side seems troubled by the good news. No demon has ever cared about it. Only angels. Yet you guys act like Hell is two seconds away from taking it away from me. Give me the truth, Michael,” I said. “What. Is. This?”
He flung up his hands in frustration. “We do not know!” he growled. “That is the danger. And that is why you are coming with me—”
Half-a-dozen smoke bombs erupted between us, instantly clouding the air, and something long and tentacular grabbed me.
I struggled to draw my katana, but the scaly demon held me firm, whisking me away.
Before I had time to draw my magic, I heard a familiar voice in my ear. “We’ve got you, child,” Qinglong murmured. “Do not fear.” The Azure Dragon set me down and bowed his head respectfully, checking my body for wounds. I looked up to see the smoke dissipating, and Ryuu and Xuanwu squaring off against Michael. I groaned. How the hell had they found me?
“Daemons,” Michael snarled, sounding furious as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. I frowned to hear the term again, but it really wasn’t the important part of the current situation.
Xuanwu held his frosty, sheathed sword in one claw, using it like a cane. He dipped his razor-sharp beak in greeting. Then his claw tightened on the hilt of his cane sword, and his beak stretched into a slow, challenging grin.
Michael snarled and drew his own sword at about ten times the speed of the slow-motion turtle.
“That is unwise,” Xuanwu said calmly, the frost and ice cracking over his thick, leathery skin as he slowly shook his head. “We came to make sure she was safe. We did not know she had…company. Or that the company would be so…forward.”
Ryuu grunted. “To me, it sort of looked like our friend was refusing your offer. No means no, archangel,” he said, slowly drawing his black katana. “Perhaps I can enumera
te the finer points of the word,” he said, sounding amused. And parts of his body suddenly began flickering in and out of view as he called up his Shadow Skin.
This was a disaster. Even Ryuu and Xuanwu couldn’t challenge a freaking archangel…
Could they?
If so, that might be even worse when Gabriel heard the news. Because, like the demons, there were seven major archangels. The war over Kansas City might just start in this playground.
“ENOUGH!” I shouted.
None of them looked at me. Probably because they knew how furious I was that they had managed to find me when I obviously had not wanted to be found. I was betting they were equally frustrated with me.
Michael and Ryuu finally lowered their blades. Xuanwu was the wild card, though. He could attack without anyone seeing him move—maybe even fast enough to kill Michael.
“I should kill you,” Michael snarled, which was rather broad as far as targets went.
“You don’t want to do that,” I warned. “They are gods, and I have bonded them to me. They are also bonded to Samael,” I added, not sure if I was enough of a deterrent at the moment. “How would the Seven respond to you attacking Samael’s friends?” I asked, hoping to diffuse the situation.
“Samael’s Daemons,” Qinglong corrected, turning to look at me, “and for what it’s worth, angels usually get a might worked up when you use the word god—”
“There is only one God!” Michael roared.
“See?” Qinglong said, dryly, winking at me.
Michael pointed his sword at me, and I could tell our friendship was in dire straits. “I should have listened to Gabriel’s advice rather than standing up for you,” he snarled. Then he simply disappeared.
I rounded on the trio, clenching my fists.
I was going to have to use my mom voice.
15
Ryuu shook his head sadly, surveying the playground. “The children will be devastated,” he said, softly, sounding genuinely upset.
“We will pay for the damages, Ryuu,” Xuanwu assured him, pointedly not looking at me so as not to cast blame. “It will be better than it was before.”
Ryuu nodded, and then turned to walk towards me with Xuanwu. “Thank you, Master Xuanwu.” His face was calm and determined, not guilty or ashamed about interrupting my meeting with the archangel. In all fairness, they had actually saved me. I’d been ready to Shadow Walk away, but there was the very likely possibility that he would have pursued me. Now, that was no longer a concern. Still, I wasn’t pleased.
I settled my glare on each of them individually as they gathered closer. “Before I begin verbally abusing you, what—exactly—is a daemon,” I asked, testing out the word on my tongue. It sounded like day-munn. “I’ve heard it before, but I can’t quite place it.”
Xuanwu nodded. “A daemon is a conscience. The term often gets misassociated with demon, giving us a bad reputation. A daemon is a familiar, a guiding presence. Like our trinity with Samael, although trinities are…more complex.”
Qinglong snorted. “Significantly more.” He turned to me. “Where do you think the story of witches and wizards having helpful familiars comes from? Even the Horsemen adopted the practice with their horses.”
I frowned. “Is that why you are bonded to Samael? He needed you in some manner?”
The two Divines shared a meaningful look. “It is a rather…personal question. The simple answer is necessity. If you want something more, you may ask Samael.”
“What of your Sisters? Were they bonded to anyone? Is it a requirement, like with Beasts?” I asked.
“It is not a requirement,” Qinglong said, choosing his words carefully.
“And I do not know if our Sisters were bonded,” Xuanwu added. “Though, I’m certain we would have heard of someone looking for them if they had been,” he said, shrugging his shoulders sadly.
“Could…my mother have bonded them?” I asked, warily.
They shook their heads in unison. “They were already missing by then. No,” Qinglong said, emphatically.
I sighed, not sure if that was a relief or not. Samael had bonded these two, and my mother had also bonded Qinglong in a way. Ryuu was studying me with a calm look, not shying away from the anticipated topic of conversation he knew would be directed at him.
“How did you even find me?” I finally asked, splitting my glare between the three of them.
“When you didn’t show up to train, Ryuu grew concerned, thinking you had been taken,” Qinglong said. “Turns out we arrived a little early for that concern,” he said, shooting me a dry look.
Xuanwu gestured with his claw towards Ryuu. “It is difficult to hide from Ryuu, White Rose.”
Qinglong chuckled. “Difficult? Hah! Try impossible!”
I glanced at Ryuu with a thoughtful frown, wondering at the cryptic comments. Who was he, really? He smirked, lifting both shoulders in a drawn-out shrug as if he’d read my mind. “You are awfully quiet, Ryuu.”
“A headless queen can wear no crown,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes. Okay. That was how he wanted to do this? With veiled criticisms? Fine. “I will not hide from danger, Ryuu. You, of all people, should understand—”
“I do not want you to hide from danger,” he said, as smooth as silk, as if we were talking about fabric swatches. He continued in the same tone, not even remotely condescending or angry. “You want to piss off angels? Tell me when and where so I can observe,” he said with an easy shrug. “What I will not tolerate is you stabbing me in the back with a paper blade while I’m sleeping,” he said, pulling out the note I had left for him on my pillow, “because you think it will prevent an enemy from stabbing me in the heart. That was the job I signed up for, and it was dishonorable and cowardly to try and take it away from me with this.” He crumpled up the paper, not breaking eye contact, and dropped it to the ground.
“I was trying to save your life,” I sputtered.
“Yet you somehow put me in greater danger than if I would have been invited in the first place. And I am my own protection. It is disrespectful to presume otherwise. I know my limits.”
I stared at him, feeling like my head was about to pop off with carbonated fury, but I was unable to formulate a response. I couldn’t fault his logic, and I couldn’t pair his maddeningly calm tone with his razor-sharp accusations. But he wasn’t finished.
“I will not tolerate you being so proud that you kill yourself to prove your bravery.”
My shoulders were heaving. “So, I should have let you come here to fight for me? To die for me?”
He shrugged, absently. “If that was the most beneficial option to keeping you and my city safe, then yes,” he said calmly. “But a straw man argument is not enough to make me back down. The real reason you chose to lie to me is because you thought I would stop you from coming here this morning.”
I stared at him. “It was a thought.”
“It was an incorrect thought, then. You would know this if you had spoken with me.”
I stared at him, surprised. “You would have picked a fight with him. Like you just tried to do?” I said, pointing at the space Michael had recently vacated.
He cocked his head, and I saw the first flare of genuine emotion in him. His voice dropped lower, throatier, almost primal. “Do you mean the fight I tried to pick with the man who was about to forcibly abduct you and take you where I could never find you?” He took a bold step forward, resting a hand on both sword hilts—the warped blade and the black katana. “Yes, Callie Penrose. I definitely did that,” he growled.
I was surprised to realize that I had taken a step back from those dark eyes.
“But that is not picking a fight. That was me preparing to teach him a lesson he would never forget.”
Xuanwu nodded his agreement, and the way he looked at Ryuu…it was obvious that Xuanwu had no doubts about Ryuu’s chance of success in besting Michael in a sword fight. Jesus. I knew he was good, but that good?
Ryuu clear
ed his throat, regaining his composure. “If you had instead told me of your plan to confront Michael, I would have brought up alternative options. I might have even argued with you or challenged you. It pleases me to see your nose scrunch up whenever you’re angry,” he grinned suddenly, “just like that.” I folded my arms, ignoring my heated cheeks. “Debate strengthens or destroys initial positions. Iron sharpens iron. After our discussion, if you had still insisted on your plan, I would have joined you as a silent observer. I would not have stepped on your toes or interfered in any way—unless you were in immediate danger that I did not believe you could overcome on your own. So, you would have been safe, and Michael would have been safe. Your decision to leave me behind led him to temptation—grandiose thoughts that he could do with you what he pleased—and that put him in grave danger.”
I frowned uneasily at his phrasing. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?
“He fled for very good reason, Callie Penrose. I am somewhat of a campfire story—even to archangels.”
I turned to the Divines, waiting for one of them to laugh or slap him on the wrist for bragging.
Except…Qinglong nodded sagely. Xuanwu looked relieved at the actual outcome, almost thankful. My mind was racing with possible explanations, but there was absolutely no denying the resolute look in Ryuu’s eyes. He was not an exaggerating. He believed, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he could have taken Michael, and the two Divines agreed wholeheartedly. I had to admit…Michael had fled rather quickly.
Who the fuck was my sparring partner, really?
“What he says is true, Callie,” Xuanwu said. “I trained him myself.” Then he bowed his beak respectfully at his student. The pride was palpable.
Qinglong cleared his throat. “There is a reason Michael did not attack. A reason why he used the word daemon like a curse,” Qinglong said. Then he calmly pointed at Xuanwu. “The Black Tortoise had a…wild youth. They may have crossed paths before.”
Xuanwu snorted. “We were not speaking of me. Ryuu has more than earned his own reputation.”
Anghellic: Feathers and Fire Book 8 Page 9