"No pot shot, Lucifer. I merely state the truth," Gabriel shrugged, shaking his blonde head as he peered at the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness. "Your record for taking what Our Creator truly wants isn't exactly pristine."
"Except for that third of heaven's army that I left with," Satan drawled, intentionally picking at the emotional scab those defections had left on Gabriel's soul. "Did Big Bad Daddy ever recoup those particular losses?" he asked as he smiled coldly, tipping his glass at the Angel.
Tensing, Gabriel inhaled sharply through his nose. He hated to admit it, but Lucifer's barb was well placed and, honestly, a direct hit against the collective celestial soul. Heaven still felt those gaping losses today. Some of the One's most holiest had chosen Samael's deceptively wicked path...and the loss of his brothers still ached inside Gabriel's heart. "Do we really need to rehash ancient history, Lucifer?" Gabriel asked tightly, shaking his head as he tried to regain his composure.
"You started it, Angel. I just finished it," the Devil taunted, his human lips stretched tightly in what could only be described as a smile of victory. "In case you missed it, Gabe, you're playing in the major league now."
"I refuse to see you as mine enemy, Lucifer," Gabriel said softly, his voice deliberately calm as he stared into the evil one's eyes. "Cast all the stones you must, but in truth, we'll always be brothers."
Satan laughed, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. "If you believe that drivel, then you're a fool.”
"Perhaps," Gabriel agreed with a dip of his head. "But I'm an optimistic fool...one who sees you, even now, and believes hope isn't lost. You traveled the righteous path once. You could find your way back."
"Who says I got lost, Gabriel? Maybe I just found a road I liked better," Satan stated, lifting his whiskered chin defiantly. "You should really appreciate me more, Angel. Face it, Brother," Satan said with a deliberate smile, "I provide your Father a balance. He has a built-in Big Bad Wolf, aka moi, to actively encourage souls to walk that straight narrow path," he sneered, holding his hands together for emphasis. "Can I help it if most of these human cattle simple find me too tempting to resist?" he purred as he wiggled his ink-black brows.
"Yeah, it's your sunny demeanor that does it, I'm sure," Gabriel retorted, resting his elbows against the table as he leveled the Devil with a knowing stare. "It's not the treachery...the deceit...the deceptions you use to trick them, is it?"
"Hey, your God never put any mandates on how I chose to rule my Kingdom," Satan replied easily. "But for the record, every soul I take knows the status quo, Mr. Judgmental. If they choose to accept my terms as the price of doing business, that's up to them. Big Daddy was the one that thought up free will. You wanna place blame," Lucifer charged, pointing a long finger at Gabriel, "Blame The One."
Shaking his head at the infuriatingly stubborn minor deity in front of him, Gabriel pointed out, "Aiden MacGregor won't choose you, Lucifer. He, too, is a noble man that walks a righteous path."
Amused, Satan's grin widened as he took another sip from his glass. "Yeah, Gab-o, because none of those poor bastards ever fell off the beaten track, did they?"
"Not unless you tripped them," Gabriel mocked, tapping a blunt fingertip against the tabletop. Heaven above, how he hoped to steer Lucifer from this mortal's soul. Aiden MacGregor, much like Matthew Hunter, had endured enough misery during his mortal lifetime. If the poor man never knew another day of heartache, it would be a small mercy.
"My foot is always fully visible. If the morons choose not to watch where they're going, I refuse to be held responsible," Satan declared stubbornly.
Lips pursing, Gabriel simply shook his head in disgust.
"Oh, don't give me that pious look," the Devil said mildly. "You know I'm right. Now, back to the matter at hand," he continued with a pointed look from his glinting eyes, "What's the catch? I'm supposed to believe that Big Daddy is gonna give me a clear path to one of his bright, shining souls? I sense you've already navigated a loophole into this, Gabe. You don't get to be Ruler of the Underworld without being able to sniff out a trap, even when it is elaborately covered."
"There's no trap, Lucifer. The One does not lie. Only a deceiver is always expecting others to deceive," the Archangel said stiffly, before relaxing his shoulders slightly. "Of course, every human soul does have a guardian," he reminded the Devil with a small smile.
Leaning back, Satan grunted. "Thought so. Loophole," he sang in an almost growl, growing irritated. "Drop the veiled innuendo, you winged gnat," he ordered, hardening his voice. "Or I make my play for Hunter and damn the consequences."
"You and your accusations," Gabriel replied, privately pleased that he'd gained the upper hand if only for the moment. "I'm only trying to give you a word of caution, old friend."
"The guardian, Archangel," Satan snarled, scraping his sharpened nails against the table. "Who is it?"
"Well, you do remember your older brother, don't you? I believe you've had a skirmish or two across the eons," Gabriel replied ever so helpfully, meeting the Devil's glowing eyes. "I feel quite certain that Michael will never forget you."
Chapter Fifteen
Satan's grin grew wide as he bared his front teeth at that piece of information. "So Saint Mikey is a security guard nowadays, huh? Must be hard for the big boy to have such a lowly position."
"The One does not think of guarding his souls as a reduction in promotion," Gabriel countered easily, well aware of the running feud between the two beings that had once been the closest of friends. "Conversely, He believes it is the highest form of service that we can offer. Protecting what is His is our paramount mission."
"Oh, don't give that shit," Satan snorted, rolling his eyes as the prissy being across from him stiffened slightly. "Mikey's a guard dog and we all know it." Leaning forward, he added, his tone almost congenial, "Of course, after our last match up, it appears that he's lost a bit of his edge, don't you think?"
"What I think is that you are underestimating the task before you," the angel retorted, meeting Satan's gaze without flicker. "Michael is a formidable foe, brother. One that you'd be wise to respect. It appears that your memory of the last encounter is a bit, shall we say, revised from the actual facts?"
Satan's eyes glowed red for a bare second as he snapped sharply, "My memory is as clear as yours, angel. I had Michael in my clutches, and I'll do it again. And unless he wants more lasting scars to mar that heavenly body of his, he'll do well to remember that."
"You were friends once, Lucifer," Gabriel reminded him, his voice quiet.
"And dinosaurs once roamed the earth as well," Satan snapped, his ears twitching. "And we all know what happened to them."
Closing his eyes as he felt the angry bitterness radiating from the Prince of Darkness, Gabriel shook his head sadly. Clearing his throat, he murmured, "You aren't the only one that holds a grudge. Michael despises what you've become, Samael. Unlike myself, he sees no hope for you. He won't hesitate to put you down if given the opportunity."
"Is that a warning, Angel? You think I fear the big, bad Archangel? I'll floss my teeth with his tail feathers if given a chance," the devil sneered, his face contorting harshly.
"Such emotion, Brother," Gabriel murmured, lifting an eyebrow as he watched the other man's brow furrow deeply.
"Michael has always been able to piss me off. The mere thought of the One's chosen warrior is enough to make me want to skewer something."
"Great emotion like that is often based in love, Lucifer. Surely, after all these millennia you've learned that much," the Angel urged, unwilling to let the moment pass without making some attempt to heal the eternal rift.
"Love?" Satan grunted, his eyes narrowing as he slapped a palm down onto the table, condiments scattering. Disgusted, he sneered, "Love is a lie, Angel. Propaganda from Big Daddy Himself."
"Love is the purest emotion there is," Gabriel denied, catching the pepper shaker as it bounced toward the floor. "It was a gift from the One. You must still see that."
"Look around you, Gabriel," Satan ordered, gesturing around the bar, his fingers suddenly curling sharply. "Do you see that oh so coveted emotion here tonight. Do you see your Father's gift lurking anywhere? Because I don't. I see greed, treachery, sloth, deception...and if I'm not mistaken," Satan chuckled, shifting to gaze at the amorous couple seated two booths away, "that is very much adultery with some kink thrown in for good measure. Love seems to be absent tonight, my friend."
"Love is sitting right here at this table with you," Gabriel said sadly, his gaze steady on his old friend. "I have never stopped loving you, Lucifer, nor, have I ceased praying for your redemption."
"Then you're a fool," Satan declared tersely, folding his arms over his chest. "I don't want His forgiveness. I don't need it. And unfortunately for you, I don't have any heart left to be warmed by your sentiment. Your God robbed me of that during the long fall down. I'm afraid you're destined to be doomed to disappointment, Angel."
"I weep for you, Lucifer," Gabriel whispered, his heart rending at Satan's cold words.
"Save your tears," the Devil bit out, each word enunciated harshly. "I don't need them. But, I can assure you that Michael will if he thinks to tangle with me. My blade won't find his handsome face on the next pass," Satan hissed, leaning forward to tap a blunt finger against the table. "I'll cut out his beating heart and cram it down his throat."
"The One will never allow that to happen, Lucifer," Gabriel replied calmly, shaking his head.
"I think you overestimate your Father's devotion," the Devil snorted, a thin stream of blackened smoke streaming from his flared nostrils. "Or is it me that you underestimate?"
"Michael walks the righteous path. He is protected by the One's light. Your threats do nothing but make you appear childish and temperamental."
The Devil smiled wickedly. "Oh, you haven't seen my temper yet this eve."
"Nor do I wish to," Gabriel allowed quickly, raising a quelling hand as he watched the pupils of Lucifer's eyes darken and the irises go blood red.
"Ah, but I think you need a demonstration, Brother," he sneered, flicking his fingers toward a young man leaning against the jukebox.
Looking over his shoulder as the unknown male suddenly bent at the waist, gasping for air, Gabriel turned furious eyes toward Lucifer. "Samael, stop it!" he hissed, darting his eyes back to the mortal as the human's glass shattered on the floor.
"Do you know what I'm doing to him right now, Gabriel?" the Devil asked mildly, squeezing his hand into a tight fist as the man wheezed on the floor.
"No, I don't!" Gabriel spat, his jaw clenching as he resisted the urge to flay the being across from him for the agony he was inflicting on an unsuspecting bystander. "Desist at once."
"I'm in the process of squeezing his heart to a pulpy mass." Satan yawned before smiling grimly at the appalled Angel across from him. "Are you concerned about my rather formidable temperament now?" he asked in a bored voice.
"Lucifer! Please!" Gabriel hissed, his shoulders stiffening as he felt his wings start to push against the earthly constraints. "Release him."
"Buzzkill," Satan whined petulantly as he flicked his fingers again, leaving the mortal in a panting, sweaty heap on the floor.
Releasing a relieved breath as he watched one of the man's companions help him from the dirty floor and clap him on the back, Gabriel turned his eyes back to the entity sitting slouched in the booth in front of him. "Why, Samael? Why would you do that?"
Blinking, Satan raised an inky eyebrow heavenward. "I don't recall you being quite this dull witted before."
"Lucifer," Gabriel growled low in his throat, a clear warning in his tone.
"Fine," Satan sighed. "Once more, I'll deliver the history lesson. I'm the Devil, Gabriel. Evil is my stock and trade. It's what I do. And I do it because I can," he added as he smiled ever so pleasantly.
Chapter Sixteen
"Once and for all, Angel, simply try to grasp on to what mortals have learned already. I do as I please and I'm pleased in all I do," Satan said, his teeth baring in what was more snarl than smile. "This is my playground, Gabriel. These mortals are little more than dolls I choose to play with. They're both disposable and replaceable. And your fickle God, in his so called infinite wisdom, left them at my mercy. If you have a complaint about that, l suggest you lodge it with Him, not me." Leaning forward, the Devil's gaze clashed with the Archangel's. "Remember, my friend," he said in a hushed voice that hinted of smoldering brimstone, "I, too, am a product of His immaculate will. I am what He made me to be."
Gabriel shook his head. "You are deluded," the angel stated emphatically but just as calmly. "Too many years spent walking alone without His light, Samael," he added regretfully, well aware of the damage the eons had inflicted on the other being's eternal soul.
"Oh, I may walk in the shadows, Angel," Satan acknowledged with a careless shrug, "But, I am far from alone. And soon, I shall have one more soul to keep company with me."
"So confident. So smug," Gabriel muttered, his shoulder stiffening at the certainty he heard in the Devil's tone. History had been a stern taskmaster when it came to dealing with the prince of the underworld, and he had learned not to underestimate the destruction that could occur with just a flick of that fickle wrist.
"I know human nature, Gabriel. Intimately," Satan informed his former brother. "Most mortals are willing to sacrifice their soul if the price is right."
"Using trickery and deceit to achieve your goals, Lucifer," Gabriel challenged, his own clear eyes darkening for a moment.
Lifting his chiseled chin defiantly, Satan countered, "Unlike Your God, I always keep my promises. A deal is a deal and all that. I'm not a thief. Any soul that comes into my possession made the choice freely. I don't coax them away from the Light. They seek the darkness. You can cast me as the villain in this convoluted game until the end of time, but at least do me the courtesy of recognizing that essential truth. The One gave these sheep the option of choosing the slaughter."
"So saith the Serpent," Gabriel bit out grimly, his mind finally accepting the reality that he would be unable to guide his fallen brother back into the Light this eve.
A slow smile spreading across the Devil's face, he winked playfully. "Now, you're getting it. Slow, but not stupid," he congratulated mockingly.
"No, Samael, not stupid," Gabriel agreed, resigned that he must concede defeat in the fight for Lucifer's everlasting soul for tonight. But that did not mean that he could not attempt the feat again…in the near future. Feeling a telltale shiver slide down the spine of the human form he’d chosen, the angel caught his breath. “There might be a bit of a problem,” he murmured as his eyes rolled back in his head.
Closing his eyes, he heard The Voice in his mind as he was issued His Divine Word and Command and enlightened him as to the true state of affairs. Gasping as information flooded his brain, his earthly hands curled into fists.
“Big Daddy on Telepathy Line One,” Lucifer muttered sarcastically as he watched the archangel’s eyes flutter. The One had always had a flair for dramatic timing. Tapping his fingers impatiently against the table, Satan snorted in frustration.
Opening his eyes a moment later, Gabriel released a rather unsteady breath. “What you ask is not possible, Lucifer. On High has informed me that none of Hunter’s team can be touched by you. Not a single one.”
“Then I’ll happily collect Matthew’s soul and be on my way,” he sneered, slapping his hands to the table with finality.
“No, you won’t,” Gabriel denied urgently, grabbing Lucifer’s wrist with the strength imbued on him by The One. “I have a message for you, Samael. And you need to listen closely. On High knows your weakness,” he offered, keeping his voice low and steady. “The One knows your weakness. True, it is your only weakness, but where you only fell before….this loss would cripple you.”
Stiffening, Lucifer jerked his arm from the table and lifted his chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gab-O. But,
I have no weakness. I have no soul. Your people made sure of that.”
“You’re wrong,” Gabriel said softly. “You have a weakness. You know it. And so do we.”
“Do tell,” Satan chortled. Oh, how he was going to laugh about this later.
“Your daughter, Samael. We know of her. You won’t touch Matthew or any of his brethren for that very reason. Did you really think He did not see what you did?” Gabriel asked gently. “Or, who you did it with?”
Lucifer abruptly ceased his laughter as he stared at the being he’d once considered family. Damn him. Damn them all. “You know nothing,” he stated hollowly. “Nothing at all.”
Tilting his head, Gabriel considered The Fallen One. “The One asked me to remind you that He understands. He, too, is a Father.”
“Yes,” Satan snarled. “How well did that work out for his kid?” Looking around the bar, Lucifer leaned forward. “This whole meeting tonight…it was orchestrated by Him, wasn’t it?”
Gabriel’s face remained impassive. “Twenty-three years ago, you lay down with an angel that chose to take advantage of our out clause and live her life as a human. Maria died in childbirth, but the child you created with her lived. You hid her in an innocuous little town in the middle of nowhere with the very best parents you could find for her. Then, you did her the biggest service you could, and you walked away. But, you’ve stood watch over her. Just as we have. I’ve visited her myself, you know,” he revealed, his voice a mere whisper as the Lord of the Darkness’s eyes narrowed to serpent-like slits. “The Devil’s daughter is truly amazing, Luce,” he praised. “Her aura…pure white light,” he murmured in awe. “You noted it. It was the reason you named the babe Lily. Very apt and poetic. So very unlike you. Did you truly think that the Holy Father would not?” Honestly, his mind spun at warp speed, but the fact that The One knew all along…that shocked him not at all.
“She’s not his child! She’s mine. He has no right!”
The Devil's Snare Page 6