I nodded and held out my hand. My eyes hummed with power as I spoke the summoning ritual in Enochian. The sigil burst into flame and the room flooded with light. Once it passed, for a moment, the light molded itself into the image of wings, which quickly vanished as ther oom dimmed. And Raziel stood before us.
“Cross,” he said, obviously not happy with the situation. “What do you think you’re—”
“We don’t have a whole lot of time, so I suggest you just listen to me,” I said.
32
Raziel listened to me explain my plan. I told him all about the dreamwalk and how I’d managed to locate Dakota, and Celeste filled him in on the details regarding Grissom and his buddies, making a point to include the part about the angel juice that powered him up. He remained silent throughout the whole thing.
Even after we finished, he kept quiet for a few more moments—moments that kept Celeste and myself on edge, wondering if he’d go along with what I was saying or just kill us both right here. Trusting him was definitely a risk. I still wasn’t quite sure which side he was on.
Finally, he spoke. “You’re a clever one, Cross, I have to give you that.”
“What do you think?” I asked.
Raziel looked past me, taking in Grissom. The angel’s eyes glowed for a few seconds before returning to normal—or normal for him, at least. “You aren’t wrong about Father Grissom here. Something’s definitely been done to him. I’ll, of course, need to confirm it.”
He started to move towards Grissom, but I blocked his path. “Hold on. We don’t have a lot of time. It’ll take me a few hours to get to where Luxton is keeping them, and time’s already pretty short as is. The more time passes, the stronger that nephilim grows and Dakota becomes more lost to us.”
“I can’t promise anything, Luther, you know that. I’ll do my best, but if this scheme is going to work, then I need to validate your claims,” he said. “No one will take it on faith alone.”
“Fine.” I stepped aside. “Just make it quick.”
Raziel nodded and walked over to Grissom. He looked down at the binding sigil drawn on the floor and his eyes flashed. The sigil instantly burned away and Raziel grabbed Grissom by the shoulder.
“Please, have mercy…” said Grissom. “I was only following the will of Heaven.”
“No, I don’t believe you were,” said Raziel.
Wings of light emerged from his back, illuminating the entire room. They wrapped around both Raziel and Grissom. Lines of distortion appeared in the air around them and all the light cast by the wings sucked into a single vanishing point. The light faded, the room was restored to normal, and both Raziel and Grissom were gone.
“Gotta hope that worked,” I said, and started up the stairs.
“This plan of yours is pretty nuts,” said Celeste, following me up the steps. “Do you really think Raziel will come through?”
“If he doesn’t, then at least I’ll know where we stand.” Once I exited the stairwell, I turned to Celeste and placed my hands on her shoulder. “If I don’t make it outta this—”
“Stop talking like you’re going off on your own,” she said. “You’re going to a place where you’ll likely have to deal with a rogue angel and his supercharged lackey. So don’t give me that chauvinist ‘I don’t want you in danger’ bull.”
I couldn’t help it; her accusation made me laugh. And that only seemed to increase her anger.
“What the hell’s so funny, Cross?” she asked.
“Sorry, I just…” It took me a moment to stop laughing. Once I did, I cleared my throat and calmed myself. “Honey, I took you into a club run by an archdemon. You just took out two of those jacked-up priests by yourself. This isn’t about me trying to protect you.” I pulled up my sleeve and pointed to my watch. “This is about how it’s going to be dawn soon and there’s likely going to be some fighting outdoors. You’re not much good to me as a pile of ash, now are you?”
Celeste looked taken aback by my explanation. Seemed she’d lost track of time in all the craziness. “Oh…”
I smiled and then kissed her on the forehead. “Believe me, if I could, I’d want you by my side. But this looks like somethin’ I gotta tackle on my own.”
“Just come back, okay?”
I nodded. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled me down towards her. Our lips met and we shared a lingering kiss that lasted longer than usual, hoping it wouldn’t be our last, but fearing it was.
When I finally broke the kiss, I gently caressed her cheek and turned away from her. I walked into the front area of the shop where Cassandra was sitting, looking out at the broken front window. Well, not looking, but you get the idea. Facing it, I suppose.
“You’re goin’, aren’t you?” she asked without turning her head.
“Somebody’s gotta do it.”
“You invited an angel in here. Gonna take me a week to get the stench out.”
I snickered. “Never change, Cassie. And don’t worry, I’ll reimburse you for the damage.”
“You better!”
The smile remained on my face as I walked to the Camaro and opened the door. I started her up and backed out of the parking spot, then hit the road, driving towards I-90. I looked up the address I saw in the dreamscape. It was down in southern Illinois, near the border of Kentucky in Pope County. My phone’s map told me it would take six hours.
I stepped on the gas. My plan was to make that trip a whole lot shorter.
The sunlight fell on her face and Dakota’s eyes fluttered open. She turned on her side, trying to fight off waking. She could smell the scent of frying bacon and her stomach started to grumble in response. With a sigh, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.
For a moment, she almost thought she was back at Luther’s condo. But then she realized that no, she was back with the Minister and the other girls. Dakota slid her legs off the mattress and placed her feet on the floor, slowly standing.
She felt out of sorts. The dream she had was so strange, so…real. But she couldn’t quite remember the details of it. All she knew was that Luther had been in the dream, and so had the Minister.
Dakota took off the nightgown and folded it up. She put on the clothes the girls had left for her—the same plain, white dresses they always wore. After pulling the dress over her head and adjusting it, Dakota’s hands rested on her growing stomach.
It had been a few months now since that night in the barn, since the angel had impregnated her. And each day, the baby grew more and more powerful. Hearing his voice in her head, having him control her movements… Dakota was terrified of what this child would become.
She’d been given her own private bedroom in this new house. The other three still shared, but the Minister said Dakota needed some extra space. Preparation for the baby’s arrival. And Dakota knew that once she gave birth, once this pregnancy proved to be a success, the Minister and his angel would take one of the other girls next.
Dakota walked down the steps, and the closer she got to the kitchen, the stronger the scent of bacon, coffee, and eggs became. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils, her hunger growing with each step she took. She entered the kitchen and walked past the girls. They were busy preparing breakfast and they didn’t say a word to her, nor she to them.
She approached the dining table and sat on the other end, across from the Minister. He had an old, leather-bound Bible open in front of him, flipped to the latter portion of the book. A steaming cup of coffee rested right near his hand, the letters WWJD imprinted on the mug’s porcelain surface.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked without looking up from the Bible.
Dakota nodded, but realizing he wasn’t even looking at her, just whispered, “Yes.”
The Minister looked up and sipped his coffee. “That so? No strange dreams?”
“I don’t know what—”
“It’s not important,” he said, then smiled and looked past Dakota. “Ah, good. Breakfast.”
&nb
sp; Chelsea carried two plates and placed one in front of the Minister, then another at an empty spot at the table where she sat; Lynn brought a plate for Dakota and set it in front of her before sitting beside her; and Rachel brought her own plate, last to sit at the table.
“So good we’re all back together again,” said the Minister. “Dakota, now that you’re with us once more, would you do us the honor of saying grace?”
Dakota stared hard at the Minister while they all linked hands around the table. She wanted nothing more than to smash that plate into his face, to pick up that fork and jam it right into his eyeball. His eyes flashed with a light blue color for just a second. And she heard the voice in her head.
“Behave yourself, Mother. You wouldn’t want to upset Father, now would you?”
Against her will, Dakota opened her mouth, speaking a standard mealtime prayer. When she finished, she said, “Amen,” and everyone around the table followed, with the Minister being the last.
“As today is a special occasion,” the Minister began, “I think we should all eat together. Just this once.” He flashed Dakota a smile that made her skin crawl.
They all started eating. Dakota just stared at the scrambled eggs and bacon on her plate. Despite her earlier hunger pains, now she felt sick looking at the food. How was she supposed to get out of here? How could she get the other girls away from the Minister? They remained just as brainwashed as ever.
“Are you feeling okay, Dakota?” asked Lynn. “You haven’t touched your food.”
“I’m just not hungry,” she muttered.
“Dakota, you should really eat your breakfast,” said the Minister. “You do realize it’s the most important meal of the day, yes? And you have to keep your strength up. That child you’re carrying will be one of the most blessed events in history. He has a great destiny, you know.”
“Minister…” Chelsea placed her hand on his arm and he met her questioning gaze with a smile. “When will it be our turn? When will the angel come for us?”
The Minister set down his fork and gave Chelsea a gentle pat on her shoulder. “Soon, my child. Very soon. And the same goes for Lynn and Rachel as well. You will be the mothers of a new generation of warriors, marching on behalf of Heaven to destroy the wicked.”
The girls all smiled and giggled, sharing excited looks between each other. Only Dakota refused to join in.
“Did you tell them what these children are called?” she asked.
The girls quieted themselves and all looked at Dakota. The Minister glared at her.
“Go on, tell them,” she continued. “Tell them how they’re little more than breeders for a nephilim army. Tell them the reason Darlene died was because the nephilim was too powerful for her and it destroyed her. Tell them how you’ve been manipulating them using magic, or about the zombies you kept at the old farm. Or why don’t you tell them how what you’re doing is forbidden by—”
The Minister slammed his fist on the table so hard, all the plates jumped just a little. His rage was barely contained and he fixed a hard stare on Dakota. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, child. The past few days have been a great strain on you, and—”
“Bullshit,” said Dakota. “You’re nothing but an ignorant bas—”
Dakota’s words suddenly died in her throat. The Minister stood from his chair and held his hand out towards her, his eyes glowing with azure power. “I see that half-breed has been putting some crazy thoughts in your head.”
“What did she mean?” asked Rachel.
“None of your concern, child. Dakota here has just been led astray by some very dangerous, very convincing people,” said the Minister. “She may be mother to the first of the new generation, but that doesn’t make her better than me. Maybe it’s time I reminded you of your place, woman.”
Dakota tried to speak, but couldn’t. She didn’t know how, but the Minister was powerful enough to keep her quiet. Maybe his influence no longer worked on her, but he still had power over her. And as long as the nephilim was hoping he would win, Dakota was helpless in his presence.
33
Going by population, Pope County was among the smallest in the state. Lots of forest preserves and farmlands down near the Kentucky border. I’d made the drive in about five hours, racing down the highway. Was actually pretty lucky I didn’t get caught by a cop.
The phone directed me to the address I’d seen in Dakota’s dream. As I rolled down the street and spotted the house, I understood why Luxton had chosen this place. Very isolated, people keep to themselves, no one to bother him. And this was Bible country out here, so anyone who had any suspicions would likely be satisfied once they got one look at that white collar of his.
This was it. I took the revolver from the glovebox and opened the chamber. Fully loaded. I also made sure I had a few spare speedloaders just in case. Finally, the dagger. I took it from the glovebox and examined the silver sheen on the blade, the Enochian marks along the metal, and the symbols carved into the hilt.
I had a pretty good feeling the Minister was more powerful than Grissom. The angel behind all this had just used those other three priests as foot soldiers, but Luxton was his main guy. He would’ve given him an extra helping of angel juice. And then there was Dakota and her nephilim baby, plus a few innocent bystanders in the form of the other three girls.
I stepped on the gas, revving the engine. Now or never, Luther. Just had to hope Raziel could come through, otherwise this would be a real short suicide run. I shifted into drive and the Camaro went off like a rocket. I pulled on the wheel and drove onto the grass, racing towards the wooden fence.
The car broke right through the pickets, heading to the front porch. It crashed right through the front door, dust and wood flying everywhere. I stepped out of the car and held the dagger in one hand, the revolver in the other.
“Luuuucy, I’m hoooome!” I said in my best Desi Arnaz impersonation. It was met with silence. C’mon, my impersonation’s not that bad.
The front door—or, now, the giant hole—led to a sitting area. Off to the side was a staircase leading up, and straight ahead was a swinging door, which was closed at the moment.
I inched towards it, gently pushing it open with the tip of the dagger while I readied the gun. I lunged through and found a kitchen. Dishes were piled up in the sink. I walked over to the table and saw plates with half-eaten breakfast and cups of coffee and orange juice. I dipped my finger into one of the cups.
The coffee was still warm. They’d just left. Must have sensed I was coming. So where were they now?
Another door next to the refrigerator. I moved slowly towards it and reached for the handle. Turning it, I pulled the door open and held the gun up, ready to fire. All I found was the pantry, shelves lined with canned goods.
I stepped out of the pantry and walked back through the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment and concentrated, trying to see if in this kind of proximity, I would be able to sense Dakota. Or anyone.
There was power here. And it angered the demon inside me. I calmed him, trying to keep him from taking control. Who knew what might happen if I let him out. Instead, I moved back through the kitchen to the front room. There were stairs leading up, so they could be there. But there was also a door beneath the staircase, probably leading to a basement.
I opened the door and stepped into the narrow stairwell. A single light bulb dangled above my head, providing some measure of illumination down here. One by one, I stepped on the creaky, wooden steps and worked my way down.
Once I reached the bottom, I looked around the darkened basement. Light suddenly filled the room. The basement was actually pretty nicely furnished, with a carpeted floor and bookcases lining the walls. In one corner of the basement was a large, ornate chair where the Minister sat, an open Bible resting on his lap. Adjacent to the chair was a long couch. Three young women in white dresses all sat there. I remembered them from the church in Dakota’s dream.
There was another chair on the other side of the Minister’s chair. Dakota sat there, her wrists bound by iron shackles and connected by a chain to the wall. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes, but when she opened her mouth to speak, no sound came forth.
“I’ve taken her voice for the moment,” said the Minister. “She just wouldn’t stop going on. Woman needs to know when to keep her mouth shut. Hi, by the way, I’m Joseph Luxton. We weren’t exactly properly introduced the last time, Mr. Cross.”
“I don’t really care about you, Luxton. I want the angel on your shoulder,” I said. “The one responsible for all this.”
The Minister sighed and closed the Bible. He passed it to one of the girls on the couch and stood. I took a step back, moving my finger into the trigger guard. But he remained calm, folding his hands and resting them in front of him.
“Go ahead and pull the trigger if it’ll make you feel better,” he said. “But guns aren’t necessary here.”
“Says you.” I pulled the trigger and the gun went off.
But the bullet never met its target. The Minister had his hand up, palm facing me. His eyes were glowing with blue energy and the bullet itself…it was suspended in mid-air just a few feet in front of him. The Minister lowered his hand and the bullet fell with it, landing harmlessly on the carpeted floor.
“Perhaps I should have been a bit more specific—guns are useless here,” he said. “I’ve been imbued with the power of Heaven, Mr. Cross. It’s going to take a lot more than a chain-smoking cambion with some fancy weapons and a few spells up his sleeve to stop me.”
“Why are you doing it?” I asked.
“Why? To purify the world, of course,” said the Minister.
“‘Purify.’” I scoffed. “Did you purify your wife when you found out about her affair?”
The Minister’s lips tightened, but he didn’t look away from me. “I did what was righteous. She’d been possessed.”
“Or is that just what you told yourself to make it easier?”
Devil's Due (Luther Cross Book 1) Page 21