“The nest of vampires here figured that out and has been surviving on the blood of animals for years. But they still carry one gene of the original disease; they can touch a demon and kill it almost instantly. The vampires here won’t hurt you, Dani,” Gabriel said, and then turned back to Potter. “Will you help me?”
“It goes against my better judgment to say yes, but I don’t really believe you came here to give us a choice in the matter,” Potter said.
“No, I didn’t; nor am I leaving her here without a warning to you. If I come back and she’s been harmed in anyway; if she has so much as a broken hair, I will lay you and everyone in your family to waste. That is a promise,” Gabriel said, and turned back to Dani. “I have to go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She was looking up at him, and he leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips, and then shot into the air.
4.
It only took three hours for Gabriel to locate the witch, and he wasn’t wrong about her having demon guards. They were all lower level demons and Gabriel would bet his life; or what might be left of it, that they had fathered the Cambions that had followed him and Dani today.
He went through the demons with no problems, and got his hands on the witch.
“You don’t want to kill me,” the witch said when Gabriel held his sword to her neck.
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, because I really do want to kill you,” he said.
“Lucifer will come after you,” she said.
“I’m counting on it, but you won’t be around to see it,” he said and slit the woman’s throat.
He held a jar under the gushing wound until the blood stopped flowing, and then tossed the witch on the floor and walked out of the small shack she’d been living in.
He flew back to the house where he’d left Dani. There was a larger pile of Cambion in the yard than when he’d left, and Dani was nowhere in sight.
“Where is she?” Gabriel asked Potter.
“After the gunshot, I thought it would be wise to keep her in the house,” Potter said. “We found her a human to play with.”
“How many more Cambion came after I left?” Gabriel asked.
“We have nineteen in the pile now; including the four we killed before you took off,” Potter said. “Then about thirty minutes ago, the flow just stopped.”
“I thought it might,” Gabriel said. “I killed their fathers’ and the witch that was providing their fathers’ with Dani’s location.”
“Oh well,” Potter said, and shrugged. “It was fun while it lasted.”
Gabriel laughed and said. “I owe you one, but before you ask, I can’t help you with you current situation.”
“I wouldn’t ask it of you,” Potter said. “We can take care of him ourselves.”
“I can put in a good word for you with my brother, Michael,” Gabriel said. “He can tell God what you’ve done for Dani today; it might help a little ways in getting some of your sins forgiven.”
“No need,” Potter said, smiling. “Dani’s given a blank check of forgiveness to everyone she’s met. She even forgave the family that we lost recently, though she admitted that she didn’t know if it would help them since they’re already dead.”
“It will, even if they’re in Hell her forgiveness will raise them from it,” Gabriel said, and sat the jar of blood on the edge of the porch just as vampire walked out of the front door of the house.
“Your brother’s name is Michael?” Potter asked. “That would mean you’re…?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to introduce myself,” Gabriel said, holding his hand out to Potter. “I’m Gabriel.”
“Archangel Gabriel?” Potter asked and shook Gabriel’s hand.
“One and the same,” Gabriel said.
“Potter, Jenny wants you,” the vampire said, trying not to look at Gabriel.
“That is not the body you were issued at birth,” Gabriel said to the vampire.
“I can explain,” the man said.
“Don’t bother, I know the man that is supposed to be in there is dead,” Gabriel said. “And even if he wasn’t, I bet Dani already forgave you.”
“That was real? She can really do that?” the vampire asked.
“Yes, she can, and I should go get her before she finds a way to forgive Hitler,” Gabriel said, making Potter and the vampire laugh.
“Can you put your wings away before you go inside? If you break anything with them, Beck will kill all of us,” Potter said.
Gabriel pulled his wings back inside him, stepped up on the porch, and walked through the open front door.
The first thing he saw was Dani and a human man playing checkers on a coffee table. She was so focused on the game that she didn’t even look up when Gabriel walked over and stood above her.
“I could be dead now, and you’re calmly playing a board game,” he said teasingly.
“Gabriel!” she said and jumped guiltily to her feet. “You’re back.”
“I told you I would be. I told you not to worry about me,” he said.
“I didn’t; hence the board game,” she said, waving her hand at the checker board, “I’d like you to meet…” Dani said.
“David Jakob Dupree; aka D.J, The Time Bender,” Gabriel said.
“The what?” Dani asked.
“D.J. here used all of the intelligence God gave him to come up with a way to allow humans to travel through time; an impressive feat that not even an Archangel can pull off,” Gabriel said.
“Thank you,” D.J. said.
“It wasn’t a compliment,” Gabriel said. “It’s reckless and dangerous and irresponsible, and I would seriously suggest that you not do it again.”
“I don’t intend to, but in my own defense, I didn’t send Beck back to 1888 the last time,” D.J. said. “She was struck by lightning, which I’m pretty sure is an act of God.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t of had your little transmitters in her,” Gabriel said, and then turned back to Dani. “Come with me, bait. Let’s do a little Devil fishing.”
Chapter Twelve
1.
“What exactly are you going to do?” Dani asked Gabriel.
“I’m going to use an old angel magic trick to summon a demon, and raise Lucifer out of Hell,” Gabriel said. “Or at least as far up as I can drag him.”
“Will you be able to kill him?” she asked.
“No, but he won’t be able to kill you, either,” Gabriel said. “He’ll be inside a protective circle that he can’t get out of, and I can’t get into; but he’ll be able to hear and see us. I just want to let him see you and goad him enough to tempt him to rise on his own.”
“You think it will work?” she asked.
“I can only hope,” he said.
He walked in a small circle, spilling the witch’s blood on the ground. Then he held his sword against his own arm.
“What are you doing?” Dani gasped.
Gabriel looked up at her, smiled and winked, “All part of the game, love.”
She cringed when he sliced open his arm and let his blood spill inside of the circle.
“How do you know this will raise Lucifer and not some another demon?” she asked.
“Because I’m using Archangel Blood; my blood, inside the circle. Blood calls to blood, and there’s only one Archangel in Hell,” he said. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as you can be to come face to face with the Devil himself,” she said.
In truth, she was terrified, but she knew she didn’t have to tell Gabriel that. She hoped Gabriel was right about Lucifer being trapped inside the circle, because if he stepped out and grabbed her all she would be able to do in her defense was pee on him and hope it grossed him out enough to let her go.
She watched as Gabriel stabbed his sword into the ground outside of the circle. The ground rolled beneath her feet and the circle started swirling with black smoke. The circle may keep Lucifer inside, but it was doing nothin
g to contain the smell. The smoke solidified and she saw a man standing inside the circle.
He had long black hair, dark red skin, and eyes black as coal.
His white teeth almost glowed when he smiled down at her, “Ahh, the last Daughter of God,” he said in voice that sounded like the grinding of stones.
It struck her soul with terror to hear that voice. She could see the greediness on his face when he looked at her. She knew without a doubt that, if he could, he would grab her and drag her to Hell.
“Hello, Lucifer,” Gabriel said.
Lucifer turned and stared coldly at Gabriel, “Brother, color me disappointed. I had hoped that when this time came that you would stand by my side. Imagine my hurt when I learned that you’d actually showed up to protect this hairless monkey.”
“I am ordered by God to be here, and I won’t hesitate to kill you the next time we cross paths,” Gabriel said.
“I know why you’re here, Gabriel. You’re trying to get Daddy to forgive you, and let you come back home. You’re pathetic and weak, sniveling at our Father’s robes like a child,” Lucifer said, and looked back at Dani. “Did your defender tell you what he did to get kicked out of Heaven?”
Dani didn’t say anything. She’d had no idea that Gabriel had been kicked out of Heaven, but she wasn’t about to tell this monster that.
“No, I doubt that he did, so please allow me to tell you. God ordered Gabriel to kill me; told him to strike me down. But when it came down to it, Gabriel couldn’t do it. When he had his chance to take my head, he laid down his sword.
“He was too weak to do the job; couldn’t stomach it, I guess. So God punished both of us. He cast me into the pit, and locked Gabriel outside of the gates of Heaven for all of eternity,” Lucifer said.
“It was a mistake I won’t be making again,” Gabriel said.
“That doesn’t tell me that Gabriel’s weak or pathetic; it tells me he loved his brother too much to strike him down,” Dani said. “You’re the one that’s pathetic; trying to climb into your Daddy’s chair and play dress up in his robes. And now you want to throw a temper tantrum because He spanked you’re little ass when you got caught.”
Lucifer roared in rage and pounded on the walls of his invisible cage, “Don’t speak to me you little bitch! I will have you in my grasp before long, and you will pay for your words in blood!”
“You gonna send another one of your demons after me? The last one didn’t work out too well. I had to sweep Sonneillon off of my living room this morning,” Dani taunted. “Or are you gonna nut up and come up to get me yourself? No, you probably won’t; because you’re pathetic.”
Lucifer threw his head back and roared to the Heavens; fire and smoke bellowed from his mouth and nose. Gabriel grabbed his sword and pulled it from the ground. In one last puff of smoke, Lucifer was gone.
2.
Gabriel stared down at Dani in amazement.
“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have said anything to him, but he pissed me off,” she said.
“No, that was…great. There’s nothing I could have said to make him that angry,” Gabriel said. “If that doesn’t bring him out of Hell, nothing will.”
“Will he come now?” she asked, looking nervously around the yard.
“No, he’s angry, not stupid. He knows better than to come and fight with me when he’s that mad. When you fight angry, you make mistakes,” Gabriel said. “It will take him at least a few days to calm down.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
“You stay here for tonight and have dinner with us,” Potter said from the porch. “I had some of the hunters clear out of one of the back houses for you; you’ll have it all to yourself.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Gabriel said.
“My sister would want me to,” Potter said. “She’s going to love it when I tell her that Dani told the fucking Devil to nut up.”
“Then we accept, but just for the night,” Gabriel said graciously.
Gabriel spent the rest of the day talking to Potter, Harley, Seanán and Tiarnán, Jenny, Beverly, Damon, Gunner, Jeremy, Leso, and everyone else that lived on the property. They were a funny; and for the most part, a happy family. They had their problems, but they were able to see beyond them and continue living their lives. They were altogether, very relaxing to be around. And Dani seemed to like them.
He watched Dani as she laughed and talked with her new friends. He even watched calmly when D.J. flirted with her. He knew D.J. didn’t mean any harm, and Gabriel had too much on his mind to worry about it. He had to talk to Dani, and he couldn’t put it off forever.
He thought that he could wait to tell her how he felt about her until after this mess was over, but it was weighing on his mind; and she had noticed changes in his behavior. And seeing her standing face to face with Lucifer had reminded Gabriel that there might not be an after…for anyone.
Gabriel had never really considered the fact that he may lose in the battle against his brother, but it could happen. Lucifer was as strong and as fast as Gabriel, and just as determined as Gabriel to succeed. But Gabriel’s goals had changed. Before, he would have been fighting for humanity and to win his Father’s forgiveness. Now Gabriel and Lucifer would be fighting over the same prize; Dani.
3.
“Where is the house we’ll be staying at?” Dani asked D.J. in the large living room after dinner that evening.
“Around the back of the house you’ll find a small path. Follow it across D.J.’s Bridge, it will take you across the creek and just keep following the path through the woods where you’ll come to another clearing. The house dead across from the path is yours,” D.J. said.
“You have your own bridge?” Dani asked skeptically.
“I do, and be glad for it,” D.J. said with a smile. “It didn’t used to be there because nobody here needed it. When I got here, if you needed to cross the creek, someone would just pick you up and throw you like a Super Bowl football.”
“You’re teasing me,” Dani said.
“No he’s not!” Harley yelled from another room. “He screamed like a bitch the first time he went across!”
“Pussy!” Potter yelled from the porch.
“They love me,” D.J. said, and shrugged.
“Are you ready to go?” Gabriel asked Dani.
“Yeah, I’m getting a little tired, and I’d like to get a shower before turning in,” she said.
They found the path right where D.J. said it would be. The path was so dark that Dani could barely see three feet in front of her.
Gabriel put his arm around her waist, “I won’t let you fall.”
His touch made the butterflies in her stomach take flight. He said he was touching her more because he’d become accustomed to her, but Dani didn’t care. She would take every touch she could get from him before he was gone from her forever.
Dani heard a small jingling sound in front of them, “What’s that noise?”
Gabriel dropped his arm from her waist, walked a few feet in front of her, and then leaned down. She was surprised when she heard him laugh.
“Come here,” he said, holding his hand out to her.
When she caught onto his hand, he pulled her over to him, “Can you see it?”
“I can’t see a thing,” she said.
He held out his other hand and a warm glow of light emitted from it. There in front of her, hanging from two small chains, was a small wooden sign with the words ‘D.J.’s Bridge’ burned into it.
“He wasn’t kidding me,” Dani said, laughing.
“It would appear not,” Gabriel said, and led her across the bridge.
“Wow, I couldn’t imagine just being hurled across here. It has to be a good twenty feet across,” Dani said and looked over the bridge.
The drop was so deep that she couldn’t see the bottom in the dark. She could hear gurgling water below them, but she couldn’t tell how far below.
“Since he’s not crippled or dead, I
think we can safely assume someone caught him on the other side,” Gabriel said.
Dani could hear the smile in his voice. This was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him. He’d smiled and laughed all day long. Even facing Lucifer hadn’t seemed to ruffle his feathers. She guessed that being in a safe location where demons wouldn’t rise up, and Cambions were smashed down, had eased his mind a bit.
They stepped out into a clearing and Dani pointed at the house in front of them, “That must be it. D.J. said it would be the one straight in front of us.”
“It’s empty,” Gabriel said.
“I’m glad you can see through walls. It must be nice,” Dani said.
Gabriel led her up to the house and opened the door for her. He stepped in behind her and closed the door. He reached back to lock it before seeing that there was no lock. And why would there be? These creatures had no need for locks. Death would quickly befall the unlucky soul foolish enough to enter one of these houses without permission.
“Dani…,” Gabriel said, turning to talk to her, but she was already halfway up the stairs.
“I’ll be right back down,” she called down to him. “I’m just gonna get the showering out of the way.”
4.
He roamed around the bottom floor of the house while Dani was in the shower. He was trying to figure out the best way to tell her how he felt. Should he just come right out and tell her how he felt? Or should he try to explain himself first. If he tried to explain himself, what would he say? ‘Dani, when I met you a few days ago, I loathed you.’?
He was pretty sure that wasn’t going to work. As a matter of fact, she’d probably throw something at him. But if he just told her how he felt, he was leaving himself open to pain if she didn’t feel the same way.
At least if he talked to her first, he’d be able to read the expressions on her face. If it didn’t look like she wanted him as he wanted her, he could just steer the conversation to another topic.
Damn it! This would be so much easier if he could just see her soul! He would be able to see how she felt about him before ever bringing the subject up. He was still pondering how to proceed when there was a loud thud from upstairs and he heard Dani scream.
When Angels Fall Page 11