The Gates of Paradise

by Melissa de la Cruz

  “And Bliss?” Arthur asked.

  Lawson didn’t flinch at her name. He quickly explained what had happened, how they’d fixed the issues with the timeline but got stuck trying to go to the underworld; then how he and Bliss had gone to New York to try to find her friends. “But you still haven’t told us what happened here. How did you escape the attack? Who attacked you? And what can we do to reopen the passages?”

  Arthur laughed. “One thing at a time, my boy, one thing at a time. The Hellhounds left me alone once you disappeared. That mess up there is merely an illusion. As soon as it became clear you weren’t coming back anytime soon, and there was danger afoot, I knew I needed a better hiding place. What better way to escape an attack than to convince potential attackers that one has already occurred? I made the place a glorious mess.”

  “You did a good job,” Edon said.

  “Too good,” Lawson said. “We almost didn’t figure it out.”

  “Oh, I knew you would. Such a simple clue, really. I almost worried that whoever came to attack me might cotton to it.”

  “Did anyone come?” Rafe asked.

  “Trackers, but they left. No hounds.”

  “Well, what have you been doing here all year?” Malcolm asked.

  “Don’t be rude,” Ahramin said.

  Said the pot to the kettle, Lawson thought, but he was curious to hear Arthur’s answer.

  “I’ve been working on your problem,” Arthur said.

  “But we only just found out about it,” Lawson said, puzzled.

  “When it took you such a long time to return, I started to worry and thought I would look into it. As it happens, I’ve discovered why the passages are out of sync. There’s been a rift in time.”

  “What does that mean?” Edon asked.

  “I’ll show you,” Arthur said. He retrieved a map from a drawer, one Lawson had never seen before. “This is a time map I discovered. Do you see this image here?” He pointed.

  Lawson looked closer. The map was largely made up of pictures, but where Arthur pointed, there were two identical images, side by side, followed by a series of images that looked similar at first and then started looking different. But after studying the images for a minute, Lawson realized the first two weren’t identical. They were mirrored.

  “Do you notice the difference?” Arthur asked. “The images on the map should all be unique, because there should only be one true path through time. But something broke, and now there are two paths. They’ve been there for a while. It’s amazing you’ve been able to move through the passages until now, since that break has caused a ripple effect that slowly created enough of a blockage that the passages are rendered useless. If that blockage is allowed to spread, time as we know it will cease to exist, and the world will crumble into chaos and disorder.”

  Lawson had a feeling he knew what that meant. The wolves were members of the Praetorian Guard, keepers of the timeline. If something had gone wrong, it was their job to fix it. “What do we do?” he asked.

  “You have to find the passage and fix the broken part. You’ll have to travel to its location since you can’t use the passages themselves anymore.”

  “How will we know where to look?”

  “I know that the break took place during the Roman Empire, during Caligula’s reign, so you’ll have to go to Rome and try to find the ancient path, the one that led to the creation of the first Gate of Hell. That’s the best I can do, for now.”

  “Did we cause this?” Malcolm asked. “When we went back there? Is this all our fault?”

  “No, dear boy,” Arthur said. “Do not blame yourself. This is the work of the Fallen. Bliss is part of this. I’m sure she is. She should be here with you.”

  Lawson did not disagree.

  “If she’s really one of us now, then we should be her priority,” said Ahramin. “Why is she running to the vampires? She’s not one of them anymore.”

  Much as Lawson hated to admit it, Ahramin had a point. Bliss was part of the pack, and the pack needed her. He needed her. He had told her as much before he left, but maybe he should try again.

  Bliss picked up right away when he called her cell phone. “You’re not on the plane yet?” He didn’t apologize for leaving, but then Bliss didn’t expect him to. They had let each other down.

  “I’m at the airport,” she said. “What’s up? Did you find Arthur? Is he okay?”

  “We did and he is,” he said, and briefly explained what they’d learned. His voice dropped so that no one else could hear him. “Listen, I know you’re worried about your friends, and I will keep my promise to you. But the thing is, Arthur thinks what’s happened to the passages affects your friends as well.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Then his voice dropped even lower still. “I’m sorry I left the way I did. I didn’t mean to.”

  “I’m sorry too,” she whispered.

  “So let’s be sorry together.”

  Bliss smiled into the phone. “Okay, I was just about to get on a plane to London, but I can go back to Ohio instead.”

  “No, don’t,” Lawson said. “Meet us in Rome.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  Mimi

  imi completed the long journey back to the underworld well before Jack. She wasn’t sure how to read his delay—had he struggled to fail at his quest, or had failure simply been impossible? The difficulty with being Abbadon and Azrael was that it was easier to do things well than to do them poorly. It was all she could do to force Kingsley to succeed in winning the cup, although certainly he’d always been good at stealing things from her. Like her clothes, or her heart.

  She tried to forget the look he’d given her—right before she’d disappeared—a combination of shock and displeasure. He had been confident she would fall into his arms—downright smug, even. And while Kingsley was right to believe in her love, she couldn’t help feeling a little irritated, especially now that she knew how he had been spending his time while she was working so diligently on breaking her bond so they could be together.

  The bastard had expected her to kiss him.

  And why hadn’t she?

  Because then all would be lost. Lucifer would know immediately, and everyone would be vulnerable. Not just her and Jack, but Kingsley and Schuyler as well. If their betrayal was discovered, it would bring death to the two of them as well as to the ones they loved the most.

  Where are you? she sent to Jack. But there was no reply.

  She waited anxiously for his return, pacing the rooms of their apartments. The Dark Prince had been made aware of her failure, but so far had not requested her to come before him to answer for the fiasco at Rosslyn. Days felt like weeks, which felt like months, which felt like years, while she flinched at every knock on the door, fearful that someone had realized she’d thrown the fight with Kingsley. That she was a traitor. This couldn’t go on forever; it would make her insane.

  She tried to distract herself, remembering her last time in the underworld, when she’d waited anxiously in her room; when she’d gone back for Kingsley. She’d indulged herself then, with massages and facials and hair treatments, and glorious meals with fancy wine, but those didn’t help now. She was too fidgety to sit still, and too nervous to eat. Late nights at the clubs helped release some of the tension, but she couldn’t dance forever.

  Finally, late one night, Jack returned, weary from his trip. She could tell from the look on his face that he’d failed, which is to say that he’d succeeded in doing Lucifer’s bidding. He’d retrieved a cup. “What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

  “We were so close,” he said. “I found the cup, and I’d set up this fantastic battle with the monks for it. They’d just about succeeded when you called me.”

  So it was her fault. She’d insisted that Jack help her get rid of Danel, and in doing so she’d sabotaged his efforts. “I’m sorry,” she said, one of the rare occasions she was willing to admit it.

  Jack shook his head. “That wa
sn’t the problem. It was a little trickier to make sure the monks won with Danel there, but I made it happen. They destroyed their precious chalice rather than letting us have it. No, the problem is that Danel is a little too good at his job. He figured out that the monks didn’t seem sufficiently devastated by the loss of their treasure.”

  “Do monks ever really seem all that emotional?” Mimi asked.

  “It’s pretty subtle,” Jack admitted. “Even I didn’t catch it. But Danel was all over it. Before I fully realized what he was doing, he’d tracked the monks to a second cup.”

  “What? They had two? How did we not know that?”

  “We’ve been tracking the strongest chalices, the ones that we were sure would suffice to carry the godsfire. The one the monks were hiding isn’t among them, but Danel thinks it will work—it’s still a cup of Christ—so Lucifer is over the moon that we managed to bring it back.”

  “Wasn’t there anything you could do?” Mimi asked. “Couldn’t you steal it when he wasn’t looking, or something?”

  “Believe me, I did everything I could,” Jack said. “Danel was too vigilant. I don’t think he was actually on to me, but we have to remember that none of the angels really trust us, still. It would take centuries for us to reestablish their loyalty to us, and we don’t have that kind of time right now.”

  “Not to mention the fact that they’re right,” Mimi pointed out. “We are traitors.”

  “There is that,” Jack agreed.

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “Well, finding a chalice was one of the last steps in being able to use the godsfire as a weapon, but it’s not the final one. Lucifer wants to meet with us tomorrow to discuss our next series of tasks.”

  The work of the Dark Angels was never done, Mimi thought.

  “We’ve got time to sabotage the process, still,” Jack said. “Whatever these last tasks are, we can fail at those as well. And if we have the opportunity, we’ll steal and destroy the cup.”

  “They’ll know it was us,” Mimi said. “If we do it here, there won’t be any hiding it. And we’ll never get Lucifer to dissolve our bond.”

  “We’ll find a way,” Jack said. “There’s got to be a way.”

  They were summoned to the Dark Prince’s chambers the next morning. His white robes gleamed against his golden throne, and Mimi was awed once again by his otherworldly beauty. This was the face of the Morningstar, Lucifer of the Dawn, the most beautiful angel in history, who had been banished for his vanity, for his greed. This was the Prince of Heaven, consigned to an eternity in Hell. He was smiling, and his joy radiated an intense, almost angry happiness. He was very close to getting what he always wanted, and he knew it.

  Danel and Barachiel stood on either side of the throne, dressed in formal golden raiment, wings spread. Danel was giving Mimi the same look that boys from Duchesne used to give her, after she’d given them a taste of the Sacred Kiss. The lascivious anticipation of physical delight that meant he couldn’t wait to be alone with her again. Ew! She should never have kissed him at the train station, but it was too late now.

  “My Dark Angels!” Lucifer said, his voice seductively sweet and melodious, as beautiful as the rest of him. “Welcome back. I’m so pleased Abbadon was successful in retrieving the chalice; though I must admit, Azrael, that I’d anticipated more success coming from you. Perhaps you were distracted by the thought of Araquiel as your foe?” he said, using Kingsley’s angel name.

  “It wasn’t a problem,” Mimi said. “He’s a formidable opponent, that’s all.”

  The Dark Prince grunted. “Formidable is not a word I would use to describe that weakling. I was surprised to hear he defeated you in battle. A first for the mighty Azrael, is it not? Regardless, we shall not concern ourselves with that, for now. We have more important things to discuss. There is one more final task we need to complete before we wage war upon our enemies. For the first, I will need Abbadon’s assistance.”

  “At your service, my lord,” Jack said.

  “We have discovered the location of the Gate of Promise, but before we are able to return to Paradise, a sacrifice must be made, as before,” he said. “But not just any sacrifice.”

  Mimi nodded.

  “The gatekeeper must be destroyed in order to obliterate the gate.”

  “Then we shall destroy the keeper, whoever it is,” Jack said.

  Lucifer looked amused. “I’m so pleased to hear you say that, Abbadon.”

  Uh-oh. Mimi had a feeling she knew what was coming.

  “The gatekeeper is Gabrielle’s daughter, the human Abomination,” Lucifer said. “Her blood is the key to our salvation.”

  Schuyler Van Alen.

  The Dark Prince folded his hands under his chin and looked straight at Abbadon. “My spies report that you were once involved with this person, that you went as far as to bond with her. Is that true?”

  He knows. Lucifer fucking knows. Mimi felt her body grow cold with fear. This whole secret agent thing was a charade. He had been laughing behind their backs for believing that they could earn their unbonding. The Dark Prince knew all along what Mimi and Jack were up to. He had taken them back into the fold only to screw with them precisely at this moment. This was his revenge. Mimi drew her hand on her hip, where her sword was within reach. We can fight it out. We will die trying, but we will fight it out.

  Jack remained impassive. There was no change in expression, no sign that the information had dug deep into his heart. Stay strong, Mimi sent. Don’t let him see.

  Jack did not reply. His stance was relaxed, and his tone conversational. It was as if he had expected to hear as much. “My lord, forgive me. You are correct in that I once had feelings for this half-human girl. But there is nothing between us. She was merely a passing fancy, a plaything. I realized my mistake and severed our ties. She means nothing to me. Do with her as you will.”

  “That is good to hear.” Lucifer smiled. “Distractions can be very harmful. Her mother, as well, was nothing but a distraction. And an annoyance.” He regarded Jack thoughtfully. “You will bring the gatekeeper to me. Her blood is in your veins, and will call to yours when you are aboveground.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Jack bowed.

  “I hope you will not be tempted to drain her completely before you bring her to the gate. We will need her alive for the sacrifice.”

  “Indeed, my lord, I shall resist the temptation.”

  “Danel will join you in this task and make sure everything proceeds smoothly.”

  “Yes, my lord. I will be glad for the help. He was instrumental in acquiring the grail. I could not have done it without him.”

  “Schuyler Van Alen should never have been allowed to live. Her life is a mockery of our glory,” Lucifer declared. “She is her mother’s greatest mistake, and will prove to be her deepest sorrow. I will enjoy draining her life’s blood and subsuming her spirit.”

  What a hypocrite, Mimi thought. To call Schuyler an Abomination when you yourself unleashed the half-demon Nephilim into our world. Silver Bloods mating with human women to create a half-mad race of demon children. And good luck with that plan to kill Gabrielle’s daughter. I’ll believe it when I see it. Schuyler Van Alen is nothing if not hard to get rid of.

  “I want nothing more than to please you, my lord. Her blood is yours.” Jack bowed.

  “And me?” Mimi piped up. “I mean, and me, my lord?”

  “Yes, Azrael?”

  “Am I going with them?” Mimi asked.

  “No, I trust they will be able to handle this on their own.”

  Can you? Mimi asked Jack, using their bond. Handle this?

  But Jack did not reply. His face was impassive and as hard to read as ever. It couldn’t have been easy, listening to the Dark Prince’s plans for him. What do we do now? she sent. Talk to me.

  Jack? Hello? Jack? she sent, standing with a rigid smile in front of Lucifer. What are you going to do?

  What I have to do, he finally replied
.

  Mimi wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Would he do what he had to to survive? Or what he had to in order to make sure Lucifer failed and Schuyler was kept alive? Mimi couldn’t imagine any reality in which Jack would actually kill Schuyler, of course. His great love for her had ruined both of their lives. He had bonded to her. No, of course not. Jack would find a way to make sure it never happened.

  Mimi found the thought of being rid of Schuyler once and for all somewhat appealing. But she knew that, after everything, she would never allow the Dark Prince to touch a hair on that girl’s head if she could help it. Just as she knew Jack would never allow Lucifer to hurt Kingsley. They would protect the people they loved. They were in this together.

  I’ll help you in any way I can.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Tomasia (Florence, 1452)

  ow that Andreas had returned, Tomi wondered how she could have doubted him. She should have trusted herself, but she had not, and now she would pay the price. But the reason for her misgivings could not be dismissed: it lay in the memory of what Andreas—Michael—had done so long ago. The last time they had encountered the Dark Prince. Though she had tried in her heart to understand, she had never accepted his choice. She had never forgiven him for what he had done during the Crisis in Rome.

  What happened in Rome should never have been allowed. She had tried to accept, had tried to understand, but now Tomi had to admit that after the crisis passed, it was too late. Ever since then, she had mistrusted Michael’s capacity to lead them.…She had wondered if he still understood the reason for their sacrifice. The reason for their existence was to seek redemption for their people, to bring hope to the banished, to bring light to those who had been cursed into darkness.

  They had come so close to victory in Rome. Michael had been so close to ending it.