She didn’t remember hearing him say anything before she had blacked out from the pain. “What was the message?”
“Lady Maraquette requested that you die a slow and painful death. She proclaimed that Lord Lucifer was hers now and forever,” Aganon spoke as if he had politely commented on the weather.
Bitch. She finally understood why Maraquette wanted her dead. She had first dibs on Lucifer. Well, she could have Lucifer if she was going to send her minions to kill her. As much as she cared about Lucifer, she didn’t need a psycho ex-girlfriend stalking her.
No, Maraquette had dumped Lucifer. That thought made her stop to reconsider her position. Maraquette had left Lucifer alone to deal with the darkness and claimed that he was beyond redemption. Why would she try to reclaim him now, or was she content to kill off anyone close to Lucifer simply because she couldn’t have him? Regardless of her crazy reasoning, Lucifer deserved someone better than Maraquette. She needed to be wary of the demented angel. If Maraquette struck out at her once, she would certainly do it again.
“That explains why she had you use a Celestial Sword. Few survive a hit from a blue flame sword. Tell me where you got it. Did you steal it from Lord Michael or a Celestial Warrior?” she asked, still intrigued by the calm but detached Aganon.
“My lady knew of the existence of such a sword and guided me so that I might obtain it,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Where did you get it from? Whose sword was it Aganon?” she stared him down to no avail. He was there in body, but his mind was sitting on a beach sipping a Piña Colada.
“The sword belonged to Lord Lucifer. He had it hidden away. Lady Maraquette knew where he kept it,” he replied indifferently.
She groaned. Why did it not surprise her to find out that Lucifer was hiding illegal contraband? She figured that it would be low on his list of offenses, but it was annoying nonetheless.
She paced around the room. She was going to have a serious conversation with Lucifer about omitting major details. If the sword belonged to him and he knew that Aganon that was responsible, then he damned well had already figured out that Maraquette was behind the attack. A swift kick to the head might be a good way to remind him to keep her in the loop on such important matters. Why did he treat her like a child? She knew why Hades had let her figure this out on her own; he wanted to watch her go psycho on Lucifer for lying to her. It would be a good source of entertainment. It was bad timing on Hades’ part if he was concerned about Lucifer’s dark side causing trouble. Hades would have to deal with Lucifer’s wrath a little longer, long enough for her to forgive yet another offense.
“Why Aganon? Why did you listen to her? Why weren’t you more afraid of Lord Lucifer or even me? Why did you try to kill me?” Anjali yelled, desperate to understand his reasoning.
“Lady Maraquette loves me and I love her. I did what she asked of me,” a hint of a smile came to his lips.
The answer was so basic, she almost laughed. He truly believed that Maraquette loved him.
Obviously, this logic was completely flawed since Maraquette wanted Anjali dead so that she could be with Lucifer, the real love of her life. Aganon had been brainwashed. She wondered what Maraquette had promised him in return for this favor. No, she decided she didn’t want to know. Maraquette’s kinky sex promises could remain a secret.
She stepped forward and slapped Aganon’s face, hard. “She doesn’t love you, darling. She sent you to your death. Look around! You’re hanging from the ceiling in chains awaiting your death at the hands of the Destroyer. If I hadn’t survived, Lord Lucifer would have made sure that you were nothing more than ashes filling the cracks of the floor, just like Caleb. She lied to you, set you up, and now you are the one paying with your life,” she yelled at him, hoping to get through to the rational part of him that had to exist somewhere.
“I know,” he sobbed. The trembling Aganon was back. He sounded defeated once again. Whatever spell she had him under was strong enough to take over his mind, but not strong enough to keep him from understanding the truth.
“She was the one who answered your prayers when you were mortal, back when she was still a Heavenly Angel. What did she offer you?” she felt a slight surge of sympathy and pity for the sap.
“My lady offered me and my family protection in exchange for my services in the afterlife. I didn’t care about the consequences; I only cared about protecting my family. Besides, she was beautiful. Her red hair shined in the sun, her green eyes were filled with compassion. I was lost to her immediately. Unfortunately, by the time I died, she had become a Fallen at Lord Lucifer’s left hand. I thought that I was going to Heaven, but I awoke in Hell. When she left Lord Lucifer, she couldn’t take me with her because she said it wasn’t safe. I know now that she wasn’t allowed to take me with her. Forgotten aren’t supposed to have servants. I was stuck in Hell, forced to serve Lord Lucifer. It wasn’t what I had bargained for, literally,” Aganon’s tears began to fall as Anjali closed her eyes and thought about punching Maraquette for putting this poor boy through the wringer.
“I’m sorry for what she did to you, but I need to know that you won’t listen to her and try to kill me again. I know that you didn’t want to hurt me. I want to let you go, but I swear I will keep you here if I think that you will submit to her will once more,” she stepped closer to him and lifted his chin so that she could look into his eyes and search for the truth.
“I don’t want to kill you, I swear. I have never harbored any ill will against you. You are the only kind person here, at least when you aren’t threatening to use weapons against me, though I completely deserve it. I hadn’t seen Lady Maraquette since she left Hell. I believed that she had forgotten about me. I know that she used me to get to you, though I was powerless to stop her from invading my mind when I saw her again. I want to be able to tell you that I won’t fall victim to her again, but I can’t say for sure. I truly am sorry for hurting you. I would never intentionally do it again. Lord Lucifer has forbidden me from harming you. I must obey my Master,” Aganon sniffled, trying to pull himself together.
“Yes, but which Master?” she mused aloud. “I’m going to let you go, but know that if you strike out against me, I will have no choice but to end you. Are we clear?” she said quietly, still not convinced that she wouldn’t be forced to kill him.
“Yes, my lady. I understand. Lord Lucifer ordered me to follow your commands, except when they conflict with his. If you both order me not to harm you, I hope it will be enough to stay my hand, if needed,” Aganon sniffled, unable to wipe his nose.
“Then I order you not to harm me under any circumstances,” she used her best authoritative voice and waved her hand, releasing the chains from his wrists. “I’m not going to heal you; you will have to wait for time to take care of that. I think it’s only fair since it took a long time for my injuries to heal completely. Oh, and stay away from the Caves of Darkness, since I’m assuming that’s how she contacted you,” she knew only too well how easily someone could get past the security in the caves and enter into Hell, as long as they knew the way.
Aganon fell to his knees in pain and subjugation. “You are quite merciful, my lady. I will not fail you again. Thank you for sparing my life. I will serve you well.”
She wondered if it was mercy or madness that made her release him. For a moment, she heard Hades’ snide voice answer her silent question. He would say that it was madness.
Anjali watched Aganon struggle to his feet and wipe the tears from his cheeks with the bottom of his shirt. He looked pathetic with his tear-stained face and bloodstained T-shirt. She tried not to let the sight of him soften her opinion of him.
“Listen to me carefully, Aganon. I command you to stand next to me or in front of me when you are in my presence. You are never allowed to walk behind me, for any reason. I don’t care that you are a servant. I want to be able to see you at all times,” Anjali waited for him to understand her command.
“Yes, my lady. I und
erstand,” Aganon tried to rise to his full height but stopped when he felt his ribs shift. He bowed his head acknowledging her command hoping they were all this easy.
“Next, I want you to tell me what you know about Alazar,” she watched the fear return to his face. No one liked talking about the Predznak. They acted as if they were invoking the bogeyman.
“Please, my lady, not here,” Aganon motioned to the prisoners around them.
Anjali understood his hesitation. Any one of them would willingly tell Lucifer what they’d heard just to be spared a beating.
She waved her hand, implying that Aganon should lead the way to a quieter place.
As she watched him gingerly move his body, it dawned on her that her own injuries from her battle with Alazar were mostly healed. Unfortunately, that meant some of her power had slipped out and aided in healing her. She scolded herself for being angry enough to let her power rise.
Aganon shuffled out of the Hall of Torment, grateful to leave the nightmare that he’d endured for months. He looked around and made his way down one corridor after another until he found a dark secluded area where no one would overhear him.
Anjali watched Aganon cautiously look around to make sure that they were alone.
“What do you know about Alazar? Why did he leave Hell? What happened while he was here?” she asked, impatient for some kind of answer that would help her find Alazar.
Aganon grimaced and leaned against the wall to take some of the pressure off his ribs. “Lord Lucifer has many secrets, my lady. You don’t want to know most of them.”
“I am well aware. I know he tortured my angels. Believe me when I say that I’m not pleased about that,” she hated herself even more knowing that she hadn’t been around to stop Lucifer from brutalizing her angels.
“My Master and Alazar never got along. They did everything they could to strike out at each other. That’s what finally made Alazar leave. Master made his final move. I’m surprised that Lord Lucifer is still alive. I thought for sure that Alazar would kill him after what my Master did to Zacharael,” Aganon whispered, refusing to look up from the ground. He didn’t want to see Lady Black’s anger. Remarkably, she was scarier than Lord Lucifer when she lost control.
“What did Lucifer do to Zacharael to make Alazar abandon his post?” she had always believed that Lucifer had done something to push Alazar beyond his limits. While Lucifer claimed that he didn’t know why Alazar had left, she knew deep down that he was lying. Now she finally had proof.
Aganon’s head snapped up. He had said too much. He should have known that his Master would never confess all his sins to her.
“My lady, I assumed that you knew,” Aganon trembled knowing that Lord Lucifer would surely kill him. He was about to detail Alazar’s exit speech to her, but had stupidly assumed that she knew more about his Master’s indiscretions in regards to her angels.
“Tell me Aganon,” she moved closer and stared him down.
“My Master will kill me, my lady. You have agreed not to end my life, but he has made no such oath. Ask Alazar, he will know,” Aganon hoped to dodge a bullet by offering up Alazar’s version of the story.
“Who else knows what transpired?” she knew Aganon was right, Lucifer would kill him, but if Hades knew, she might be able to barter for the information.
“Lord Lucifer, Alazar, Zacharael, and me, though perhaps the other Predznak might know, but considering that they didn’t try to attack my Master before leaving, I doubt it,” Aganon thought about the look on Alazar’s face the morning that he brought Zacharael back to his room in the Annex and trembled.
“Fine. When I find Alazar, I will ask him. Now, go back to Lucifer and pray that he has forgiven you enough to tolerate your presence,” she motioned for Aganon to leave.
It seemed that matters were worse than she had feared. Alazar, she realized, was the only one who could tell her the truth.
Chapter 7
Appearing in front of the wooden bridge leading to the Romanian castle, Anjali was annoyed to see that the sun was setting and that the Spirit Expert’s vans were already in the parking lot. Interrogating Hades and Aganon had taken longer than she thought.
Above her, the sprawling castle was lit up in the growing darkness. Floodlights shone across the entire facade and candlelight flickered from the glassless windows. Unfortunately, they had found the wayward caretaker. Curse her luck. The group must have already had their tour and were ready to start filming.
“Annie?” a familiar voiced echoed across the expansive bridge.
“Crap,” Anjali quickly fell to her knees when she saw Derick approaching so that he wouldn’t see her black dress. She had been so upset about Lucifer lying to her about multiple things that she had forgotten to change her clothes.
“Annie, are you okay?” Derick’s voice was getting closer. She knew it was pointless to run. He had already seen her.
Anjali quickly changed her dress into jeans, a deep V-neck black T-shirt, and a long billowing coat that would, hopefully, account for the bulk of her skirt that had been fanned out around her on the ground. She didn’t think Derick had noticed her dress.
“Yes. I’m fine,” she got up from the ground and pretended to wipe off her knees.
“What happened? Did you cut your hand? Let me see,” Derick’s voice was filled with concern as he rushed to her and took hold of her hands to examine them.
“Black ice, just be careful over there. I slid because I was too busy looking at the imposing fortress to watch where I was going,” she chuckled, pretending to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry I didn’t join you this morning. I just woke up. I’m afraid that I slept the day away. Did you finally get everything together for your documentary?” she lied as Derick inspected her hands.
“Yes, Mrs. Pavel was kind enough to prepare the castle for us, though she didn’t show up until a few hours ago. We don’t have a lot of time in Romania, so we need to work quickly if we want to pull this off. It was decided that we should forego the official tour and start shooting as soon as possible. Mrs. Pavel gave us a brief tour of the areas we want to film in so that we could set up the equipment,” he stared at her face, happy that she hadn’t left Romania. “Umm, I don’t see any cuts, I think you’re okay,” Derick was reluctant to let go of her hands.
His hands were gentle as they carefully moved across her skin, searching for any abrasions. She knew she should pull away, but she liked how his hands brushed along her sensitive skin, making her blood rise to the surface. She could swear that she was blushing. Even the simplest touch from him was intense. She thought about what it would be like to touch his face, but quickly shook herself to clear the thought. What was wrong with her? She’d been around men, or rather boys, while alive, but she had never wanted anyone like this before. Since dying, she had only taken an interest in Lucifer, though her feelings weren’t as strong for him as the man she’d just met.
He gave her an impossibly gorgeous smile that made her heart flutter. His dark hair was messy and windblown, and it was begging to be touched. She was shocked to find that her infatuation with him had grown. Kissing him no longer seemed like a bad idea.
“I think I’m okay. Thanks,” Annie pulled her hand away and pushed it into her pocket before she could act on her impulses.
She regretted separating from him, but it was much safer if she didn’t touch him. She thought about all the horrible things Lucifer would do to him and took a step back. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, I’ve spoken to some of the locals and they are truly afraid of something unholy that lurks here,” she said as shook her head and acted afraid. This was her last chance to get Derick away from the castle, though she knew she was wasting her time.
“Annie, everywhere we go, we hear stories about monsters and evil spirits. While I have encountered things that I can’t explain, I’m not going to let it stop me from finding the truth. We know the risks and we are willing to deal with them. Nine times out of ten, it’s ju
st a silly legend and we don’t find anything, evil or otherwise. That doesn’t mean we’ll give up, we just have to seek out better places. I want to find something. I want to see something that no one else has ever seen or known about. I want to find the truth,” Derick spoke passionately, proving to Annie that she wouldn’t win this argument.
Derick and his friends had flown all the way to Romania to chase their dreams. It wouldn’t be easy to convince any of them to leave. She considered telling him the truth, but that would cause bigger problems. Angels and immortals weren’t supposed to let mortals in on their secrets, unless they were able to secure their silence by way of a deal. She cringed at the thought of making a deal with Derick. She didn’t want him to become her servant, even if it meant keeping him safe from Alazar. No, if they were set on investigating the castle, she would do everything within her power to protect them.
“I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. We just met, but I would be really upset if you got hurt,” she paused when she thought about what she said. She would be upset if he got hurt, which was odd since she didn’t know anything about him. He could be a total jerk, though she didn’t think so. Something inside of her seized up at the thought of seeing him injured and bleeding, or worse, dead. She cared about him, right or wrong.
“Annie, nothing is going to happen short of a few bumps and bruises from walking into a wall, or maybe a twisted ankle. We are going to be fine. Thank you for your concern. If there really is something lurking inside, then we’ll haul ass out of there and never look back. Now, why don’t we get inside? The castle is freezing, but at least it blocks the wind,” he extended his arm so that they could walk arm in arm.
It was a silly gesture, but she felt compelled to take his arm and walk with him. It seemed out of place for a college student to do, but something felt right about it. Unconsciously she snuggled into him and relaxed, despite not being affected by the cold. She liked the feeling of being close to him. It was rare that someone was kind to her without expecting something in return. She relished the moment and tucked it away for later, when she was alone.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 17