Shadow stood from his sitting position and Lilith got up off the floor.
“Fine then, Sarah. Tell me what you think you know about my father.”
“I’ll have to go back further than that for you to understand everything.”
“Go back as far as you have to. I need to know what connection my father has to the angels of Heaven.”
CHAPTER 25
Carlos had left the room and went to the kitchen to make himself some dinner. Leech and Lilith sat on the couch and Lilith rested her head in Leech’s lap. Having finally gotten some small amount of affection from Lilith that wasn’t weird or creepy, Leech grinned. When Lilith looked up at his face, he quickly changed his expression to one of annoyance. Shadow sat next to the two of them.
“I’m guessing we’re going to be here for a while, angel. Why don’t you sit down and start telling your story?”
Leech leaned over to Shadow and whispered.
“Dude.”
Shadow looked at Leech. Leech pointed at Lilith resting her head in his lap and gave Shadow a thumbs up. Shadow ignored him.
“Go ahead, Sarah.”
Sarah sat down in the armchair Carlos had been using.
“Well I have to go back to almost the very beginning for any of this to make sense. I’m assuming you guys have heard of Persephone?”
“The bride of Hades? The one who gave birth to my father and my uncle? Yes, I think we’re familiar with Persephone. She’s one of Satan’s wives... or one of his concubines. I’ve never been sure which one.”
“Persephone was a daughter of God. She drew to her the affections of all the angels but it was really only a contest between two, Michael and Lucifer. Michael eventually won that battle and he proposed to Persephone before the war started. God gave Michael his blessing. They were married in a grand ceremony in Heaven but Lucifer, filled with pride, anger, and jealousy refused to accept the marriage. He stole Persephone in the night and took her with him to Hell. He had also planned a rebellion to dethrone Michael and command the armies of Heaven himself. He denounced God for giving the one he loved to another and for allowing Michael, his archenemy, to command the armies of Heaven.”
“When Lucifer carried Persephone to Hell, he became Satan, the Dragon. She gave in to her dark side and became the mother of many of the most powerful demons. While she gave him many children, the Dragon was unaware that his first-born son, Abaddon, wasn’t his. Michael had impregnated Persephone on their wedding night and Abaddon, while he looked like his demon mother, was actually half-angel.”
“Michael visited Hell, hoping to reclaim his wife. Persephone wouldn’t go with him. She had chosen to stay with the Dragon in Hell. When Abaddon was of age, he visited us in the Heavens. Michael, still torn by grief over the loss of Persephone, refused to see him. He had a messenger deliver his short blade to Abaddon and while Abaddon met with the other six archangels, he never saw his father. Abaddon felt rejected by Michael and he returned to Hell to live with his mother and embrace his demon half. He visited us again several times but he was more demon-like every time he entered the heavens. He eventually became corrupted to the point where he could no longer visit us there, but we occasionally saw him on earth. One day, we stopped seeing him all together.”
“Our spies brought information to the heavens that Abaddon had a son. We were unsure how reliable the information was, but he was supposedly named Shadow. I just confirmed that our spies gathered the truth that day. If they hadn’t, you would be dead.”
“That’s an interesting story, Sarah, but I don’t really believe you. Angels have tried to fool us before and we have you outnumbered. You’re facing your death.”
“The ring my grandfather gave me activated when I was attacked. Your numbers mean nothing at this point. I will not attack you, but I will defend myself. The only weapon you have that can harm me is Michael’s short blade. If you insist on using it, it will still be a one-on-one match. I have no reason to lie because I’m not in any real danger here.”
Shadow arched both of his eyebrows.
“Are you implying that I can’t kill you, angel? I’ve slain far more powerful creatures than the likes of you. I thought pride was a sin. Is your ego really that large?”
“It’s not my ego. I have confidence that I can defend myself long enough for my father and grandfather to send reinforcements. I’ve already been gone for too long and the heavens will have been alerted that my bodyguard is dead. I guess I also have some hope that you won’t fight me. While opinions on Abaddon are divided in the heavens, I always respected him. He never attacked me and I would hope his son would show the same tolerance of our kind. Either way, I don’t see myself in any real danger.”
Leech placed his hand on Shadow’s shoulder.
“Kill her. She’s done nothing but spread lies about you since we let her speak. The kiss had to be some kind of trick. I know we’ve always been told that a kiss from an angel could kill us, but I’ve never seen it happen. Maybe it was just a rumor and she played into our fears.”
Shadow considered this and then turned to Lilith for her opinion.
“I still don’t think she’s prettier than me.”
“Lilith...”
“We could always test Leech’s theory. Leech could kiss her and we can see if he dies...”
Sarah cut in.
“I’m not kissing any of you. I just had to know if I was really meeting Shadow or if you three were trying to deceive me. The kiss was the only way I could think of. Now that I know that he really is Shadow, I’m not interested in kissing anyone in this room.”
Lilith winked at Sarah.
“Not even me?”
Sarah shuddered.
“Especially not you. You’re creepy and weird. If you want to give Shadow advice, do so. There will be no further kissing.”
“I think she’s telling the truth, Shadow. She clearly has the hots for you because you’re apparently the only one in the room that she’s willing to make out with for no reason.”
Shadow grinned, amused at how much not being kissed by an angel annoyed Lilith. If the angel was telling the truth, a kiss from Sarah could kill Leech or Lilith but Lilith wanted one anyways. Leech’s parasitic touch had finally found some competition.
“We’re not going to try to test the theory. I’m not going to fight her, either. I don’t know if I believe her but there’s a decent chance that she’s telling the truth. We’re going to let her go and move on with our mission.”
As Shadow finished this thought, two angels appeared in the room. They were much larger than Sarah and their eyes glowed white instead of the bright blue of Sarah’s. They drew their blades and started advancing on the three demons.
“Stop!”
The angels turned to look at Sarah.
“This is Shadow, the son of Abaddon. He is part-angel and we will not attack him, as he chose not to attack me.”
“Sarah, someone attacked and killed your bodyguard or we wouldn’t be here. I’m assuming it wasn’t you, so that just leaves these three demons. Why would you allow all three of them to live?”
“Leech was just doing what he thought he had to do. He had a mission and he saw angels in his way. He hasn’t attacked since we established who his leader really is. We will allow all three of them to leave in peace.”
Shadow shook his head.
“That’s great that you think we deserve to live but we aren’t leaving this house. We were sent here with a mission. While I said we wouldn’t attack you, we will continue our mission. So I guess, truthfully, whether or not we attack you is up to you. Your friends are starting to annoy me. Leech and Lilith will take them down if I command them to.”
Both Leech and Lilith nodded in agreement and drew their weapons. The two angels drew their blades as well. Sarah put a hand on each of their arms and shook her head.
“We will leave. There doesn’t need to be any further bloodshed. I only ask that you answer me one question.”
&n
bsp; “What’s that?”
“What happened to your father? Where is Abaddon?”
Shadow hung his head.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, angel. He isn’t one of you.”
“I didn’t say he was one of us. He clearly chose Hell over Heaven a long time ago. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still care about what happened to him.”
Lilith put her hand on Shadow’s shoulder.
“You don’t have to tell them anything, Shadow. We can just attack.”
Shadow brought his eyes back to meet Sarah’s. There was genuine sadness in her eyes for whatever situation Abaddon was in.
“The Dragon is torturing him in the lowest circle of Hell. They think he’s a traitor. I will get him out of there one day; I’m just... not strong enough yet.”
Shadow looked back at the floor and then he felt Sarah’s arms around his neck. The light that rushed in comforted him, but he pushed her away.
“What the hell? Why does everyone think they have the right to hug me?”
“Well, Shady, you do look very huggable. You just give off a vibe that you want to be hugged a lot. Would it be cool if I hugged you now?”
“Shut up, Leech.”
Sarah smiled at them. She stood on her tip-toes and kissed Shadow on the forehead.
“I hope you succeed in your quest, Shadow, son of Abaddon. We will leave you now.”
The two angels looked at her like they were going to protest her decision.
“We can leave, or I can tell grandpa that you attacked Abaddon’s son. You know that Gabriel always had a soft spot for Abaddon.”
This seemed to convince the two angels that it was in their best interest to leave. As they turned to go, Lilith stopped them.
“Wait.”
Sarah turned back to face her.
“Yes?”
Lilith hesitated, not sure if she wanted to ask her question. She finally just blurted it out.
“How do you get your hair so shiny?”
Sarah laughed.
“It’s a special kind of angel shampoo that...”
“I want some. Will you take demon money as payment?”
“No. I have no use for demon money. I don’t think you really need it though. Judging by the way Leech looks at you when he thinks you aren’t looking, I’m sure that you have no shortage of demon suitors.”
Sarah and the other two angels turned and left Carlos’ house.
CHAPTER 26
Carlos returned to his armchair with a half-empty beer. His face was stained by the tears he had shed in the kitchen. Shadow decided to give Lilith the first shot at cracking him. Lilith approached his armchair and started in.
“You can’t just give up and let your son die, Carlos. As long as you’re still breathing, you can’t let him die. Your wife didn’t give in and even died to give Junior a shot.”
Carlos started crying again and Lilith realized that the mention of his wife had struck a nerve. She decided to press it further.
“If your wife was still alive, she would find a way to save him.”
Construction doesn’t pay enough. I can’t save him.
“Your job doesn’t pay enough so that’s it? You aren’t required, as his father, to think outside the box? If staying in the lines is all fathers are required to do then having a son really doesn’t mean much. Your wife wasn’t required to die for him, but she did.”
Carlos continued to sob and occasionally lifted his beer to his lips. Lilith motioned for Leech to take a shot. He approached Carlos and leaned in to build on what Lilith had started.
“It all comes down to money. Let’s start there. Obviously your job doesn’t pay enough to get Junior the care he needs. You’re going to lose him if you don’t think up another way to get the money.”
I don’t know how to get the money.
“Who do you know that has money?”
No one.
“That’s not true. You know people with money. You knew them when you were younger and you walked away from them when you decided to start a family.”
I wanted to live an honest life. I didn’t want to run with that crowd anymore.
“Where has the honest life taken you? Your wife is dead. Your son is dying. Maybe if you had tried a less honest career path, your wife could have gotten the medical care she needed to save her. You would definitely have the money to save your son now.”
I can’t turn to that life. What would that be teaching my son? That it’s ok to be a drug dealer and cheat your way through life?
“What does it really matter if he dies? What lesson does death teach him? It teaches him that his father only loved him to the point where it got too hard. His father loved him until he had to put his own life on the line. His father loved him less than his mother did.”
Carlos threw his empty beer bottle at the wall and it shattered into innumerable glass shards. A rage replaced the sadness and pity he had felt before. Leech made way for Shadow to take over.
I love my son.
“Bullshit you do. A good father would have done whatever was necessary the second he thought of a way to save his son’s life. You’ve sat here on your fat ass and fought the urge to be a good parent while drinking yourself into a stupor. You care about making yourself feel ok with your son’s death and you care nothing about saving his life.”
That’s not true.
“Bullshit again. You know it’s true. You can blame whoever you want but when your son dies it will be on your head. Your wife knew in advance that giving birth to Junior could kill her and she did it anyways. You are a worthless coward who doesn’t deserve to be a father.”
Carlos got up from his chair and punched at the wall with all of the force he could muster. He yelled and cursed and then walked to the door. When he got to the door, he paused. Shadow motioned for Lilith to give him the final push.
“You know where to find Diego. You know that he could kill you for showing your face in his neighborhood. You also know that if your son dies, your life will be meaningless. Your wife was willing to risk it. If you don’t step out the door and do this, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
Carlos nodded, full of resolve. He grabbed his coat and stepped out into the night to track down his cousin and ask for a job.
As Carlos stepped outside, determined to track down Diego, the three demons followed.
“I want the two of you to find Diego and make sure he’s in a good mood when we get there. I’ll keep an eye on Carlos and make sure he doesn’t waver. Booze, girls, whatever you need to do to make sure that when Carlos gets there, Diego doesn’t immediately kill him.”
“What if the angels are watching and they come back when we leave?”
“They’ve already proven once that they aren’t interested in killing me because they think I’m part angel. I doubt Sarah will let any of them come back to harass me or to help Carlos.”
“I’m not so sure, Shady...”
“I’ll be fine. Go. You and Lilith need to get there now. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Alright fine. We’ll go. Just don’t come crying to me if angels attack and you get killed.”
“How could I come crying to you if I’m dead?”
“Just... stay safe. Let’s go, Lily.”
As Leech and Lilith left, Carlos’ determination began to falter slightly.
I shouldn’t be doing this. Diego is going to kill me and my son will be left without a parent.
“You absolutely should be doing this. Stop whining like a little bitch. What good is having a parent if he’s not willing to save your life? Either go through with this and get the money to save him or admit you aren’t a real father and walk away.”
That seemed to be the kick that Diego needed, as he quickened his pace.
As Leech and Lilith made it to Diego’s place, they found several men guarding a warehouse with semi- and fully- automatic weapons. Diego was inside, lounging on an expensive couch an
d drinking himself into a stupor. Leech shook his head.
“Looks like we have our work cut out for us, babe. This guy is going to be pissed unless we give him some strong reasons not to be.”
“How do you look at me when you think I’m not looking?”
“What?”
“What Sarah said before she left. Do you like me, Leech?”
“Hell no. You’re psycho and incredibly annoying. She just wanted to mess with me because I killed her bodyguard.”
“So if I were to come on to you right now, what would you do?”
“I’d tell you we don’t have any goddamn time for nonsense like that right now. Shadow’s orders. Do you really want to throw away the entire mission for a make out session?”
“Sure I do, but I’m impulsive like that.”
Lilith put her arms around Leech’s neck and brought her lips within inches of his until their noses touched.
“Lilith... what did I tell you?”
“I’m not doing anything. I just couldn’t hear you all that well so I figured this would help.”
“Oh I didn’t know you couldn’t hear me. Why don’t I just YELL FROM NOW ON?”
Lilith stumbled back a few paces and giggled.
“Alright then, Leechy bossy pants. What should we do?”
“You’re going to go find a whore for Diego. Convince one of the pimps that it’s time to pay Diego to stay in his good graces. Have him send a prostitute as a present.”
“And you’ll sit here on your ass and drink booze with him?”
“No, I’m going to find the gang’s accountant and help him get a bunch of his debts called in. A fat wad of cash plus a free hooker should equal a good mood for our guy.”
“That’s not bad. Shadow was right though, you’re a super geek, Leech. You want to go hang out with an accountant instead of me?”
Leech looked away.
“Do you enjoy tormenting me? Just do what I say.”
“Ooh I like it when you boss me around.”
“It’s the age of the geek, baby. Geeks will inherit the earth. They just may not be human geeks...”
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