by Rae Foxx
Gates of Death
Rae Foxx
Text Copyright ©2020 by Rae Foxx
The Series, characters, names, and related indicia are trademarks and © Rae Foxx.
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Market Street Books
No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For Information regarding permission, write to:
Rae Foxx at [email protected]
Production Management by Market Street Books
Printed in USA
This Edition, June 2020
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Afterword
Also by Rae Foxx
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About the Author
1
The pan of eggs clattered to the floor, flinging yellow liquid everywhere. "Damn it," I whispered. Leaning against the counter, I tried not to sob out loud as the valiant effort I was making to hold myself together failed again..
"What the hell is going on?" Lucifer roared.
I raised my watery eyes to see him standing in the kitchen doorway. "I bumped the handle of the skillet and knocked it off the stove."
There was no telling how he'd react. Being in his human body wasn't good for Lucifer. He was one of the most powerful Fallen, if not the most powerful. I was the only one that was ever able to give him a run for his money, but my power was softer. I had just as much power as he did, but his acted like a tidal wave, roaring through his body unchecked. Mine was like a raging river, large and powerful but precise in its destruction. We both had access to a small bit of our powers, but not enough to do what must be done.
His wanted to be free, sending him into rages at times. An incident like a spilled pan of eggs would be just enough to do it.
Not that he'd ever hurt me. Not physically.
"Can you do nothing right?" He seethed. "This earth cycle has made you an absolute idiot."
Emotionally was another story. In Abaddon, he'd grown distant and sometimes short with me. This Lucifer trapped on Earth was cruel.
"It's just eggs, Luc. I'll clean them up." My anger rose as I ignored the hurt his words evoked and I grabbed the handle of the skillet and threw it in the sink. As I pulled off a few paper towels to begin sopping up the uncooked egg, Lucifer spoke again.
"How could you give our baby to a human?" His voice had lost its cold edge, replaced by pain.
It was the first time he'd spoken of Ariel since Michael and Gabriel came to tell us they had no news. I wanted to break down in tears at the thought of my sweet girl in some unknown situation.
I couldn’t look at him, I knew if I looked at him, the facade would break. I took a deep breath. "She's human, Lucifer. Human. What else could I do? I found a good family to raise her."
He crouched beside me but didn't offer to help clean up the mess. Of course. Lucian would've helped without a second thought. "Did you not stop to think that even when we are in human bodies, we are not human?"
The paper towel turned yellow, soaking up the mess as my arm froze in the middle of wiping. I should've let Jellybean inside. He would've cleaned it fast. "Our bodies are. And she was made of our bodies."
"You know as well as I do the bodies don't matter. The souls matter. How else could we help souls in Abaddon and put them in a different body? Even if her body was human, her soul was likely not." He pushed himself to his feet and turned away from me. "You should've waited, talked to me first!"
"I did what I thought was best at the time," I yelled. "Don't you know how hard it was for me to hand over my newborn baby minutes after giving birth to her—a birth I went through, I might add, without you!"
"If we don't find Ariel, I'll send all three of you to the underworld to be reborn,” He roared and slammed his fist through the drywall before stalking from the room. I couldn't help but believe him. He was human now, but it wouldn't be this way forever.
What if he was right? Had I made the worst decision ever? Ariel couldn't have gone to the underworld; we would have known that, or at least Gabe and Michael could have been able to find out, right? And Lucifer should have been dead by now, which would put him in Abaddon fixing the gate and we have made the effort to do that too. So it wasn’t like I was trying to get out of my duties, I was trying to do the right thing, at least I think I was making good decisions. Ugh. Where were Gabe and Michael when I needed them. Technically, Lucifer didn't need me to help him in Abaddon. I could've come right back to Earth in my ethereal body and taken care of Ariel.
Just because it had never been done before didn't mean it couldn't have been done now.
Lucifer walked into the bedroom and sighed. It had been hours since I dropped the eggs, and I was trying to take a nap, but my mind wouldn't shut off. All I could think about was what horrors Ariel was facing. Or had faced. What if Raphael had just killed her? I had no way of knowing.
"The Lignum Crucis was a good idea." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."
The blanket fell off of me as I sat up. "You're sorry?" I couldn't help the shocked expression on my face.
Lucifer wasn't one for apologies. As a human, Lucian had been free with them if he thought he was in the wrong, but Lucifer didn't say sorry lightly.
He didn't move, just stood there and stared at me. "I said it. You did make the wrong decision, but I know you've always wanted children."
A tiny seed of hope planted in my heart. I knew Lucifer wouldn't have been cruel before he'd woken up trapped in human flesh. Cold, indifferent, and flippant, sure. All those things had hurt, but I was used to when he'd done them in Abaddon. But calling me an idiot, that was a new level. I had to hope it was the influence of his power, angry that it was trapped within him and couldn't be freed.
Not to mention, he'd always wanted children as well. "I know you're hurting too," I said. "I accept your apology."
I wouldn't forget he'd called me an idiot. But I could move past it if he stopped being a complete asshole all the time.
Especially if we brought Ariel home. I wouldn't have had him being anything but wonderful to her. Why would Raphael take her and where would he be hiding her? If she wasn’t human, what did that mean for us? Our future? Perhaps Anna could help us. We could somehow visit her often here on Earth. She had six parents, between all of us one of us could stay with her all the time. I didn’t want to raise my hopes by thinking her body would be capable of going to Abaddon. She was still in a human body, as far as any of us were able to discern in the short time we had her with us.
"Lilith!" Lucifer's sharp voice pulled me from the pit of despair I'd begun to sink back down into. "Are you unable to pay attention?"
I shook my head. "Lucifer, I'm barely breathing. Cut me a little slack."
For a few seconds, Lucian peered through Lucifer's eyes. He walked forward and got on the bed, sitting on top of the blankets. Before I knew it, I was wrapped in his strong arms with tears pouring down my cheeks. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "I'll make sure of it."
"What if she's already dead?" I sobbed into his shirt, unable to stop the pain from overwhelming me. I'd never felt so helpless in my entire existence. "I can't sense her. I can't stop the pain, Lucifer."
This was the husband I needed. Part Lucian, part Lucifer. Ready to throw down and burn the world to the ground when needed, but also able to comfort me and be here for me when I needed him. As my tears slowed, I prayed he'd stay like this and his power would give him some relief and a break from the anger.
He extracted himself from underneath me when my sobs completely stopped. "I need more information about the state of Abaddon and the rest of the world."
Like a switch had flipped, he was entirely Lucifer again.
"And why can't I die?" He shook his head and looked like he was getting upset again. "I tried again this morning and failed miserably." He'd been trying to kill himself for days. That explained why he was particularly harsh this morning.
"Michael! Gabriel!" Lucifer began yelling for his friends and my mates. Sighing, I plumped the pillows behind me and waited for them to show up.
Michael popped in first, covered in soot. "What the hell?" I yelled when he plopped down on my clean, white sheets and blankets. "Get off!"
"Too late." He closed his eyes and burrowed against the pillows. "It's already dirty now, I might as well stay."
"Why are you covered in soot?" Lucifer asked. Gabriel appeared before Michael opened his mouth. He looked weary, but at least he was clean.
Michael explained the soot but never opened his eyes. "I heard a rumor of a fire that couldn't be contained, then suddenly, it went out on its own. In Montana. I was going through the house to see if I could sense anything at all."
My heart ached for them. I knew they were exhausted, pushing themselves to their limits to look for Ariel. He sighed again and moved his arm so his hand laid palm up on the bed. I took it and wiped the soot from his knuckles with the already-ruined sheet. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault," Gabriel said darkly. He shot Lucifer a scathing look. "I've been chasing a rumor of a strange man and a baby on the Galapagos Islands. It wasn't them."
"Is there any news of Abaddon?" Lucifer asked. "How are the gates?"
Gabriel shook his head and walked to the bed scooting Michael’s feet out of the way and sitting down. "We can only see it from the outside. I haven't been there in several days."
Michael threw his arm over his eyes. "I went yesterday. They're pretty bad, but I think the speed of the decay might have slowed. I expected them to be worse than they were."
Lucifer paced the room while Gabriel and I watched. Michael let out a soft snore.
"Who knew about the baby?" Lucifer asked. "Besides us?"
"Raphael, obviously," I said. "Since they sensed him in the baby's room and he's MIA. And Sandalphon. We think that's all."
Lucifer's rage bubbled over again. "What the hell were you two doing while we were stuck here? Did none of the fools in heaven notice Raphael's disappearance?"
"Lucifer, be mindful of your words," I cautioned. He was more agitated than he'd been this morning, and who knew what he might say to his friends or me.
"This situation is impossible," he replied. "I need some air, or I'm going to blow."
He stalked from the room and soon we heard the back door slam. He had to have slammed it for us to hear it in the upstairs bedroom. I leaned against the pillows with a sigh and a heavy heart.
"Is he gone?" Gabe asked.
"Yeah. He'll walk around outside for a while with Jellybean and come back calmed down," I said.
The black pit looked better and better. If I sank into it, I might go into an oblivion where it didn't hurt as much.
Gabriel watched me, a concerned expression on his face. "We're going to find her," he said. "Raphael can't disappear off the face of the earth."
He focused on Michael and pulled the soot off of his body. His eyes narrowed and it whirled in the air until it formed a small ball, then he walked into the bathroom with it. When he came back, he wore just his boxers, and the soot was gone. “There,” he said, then walked around the bed to slide in beside me. I adjusted myself so I could let him hold and comfort me.
As I rested my head on Gabriel’s chest, I sighed and tried to go to sleep.
And tried.
And tried.
"Lil?" he whispered a while later. "Want me to try to take your mind off of things?"
My heart wasn't in it, but it was better than lying there deep in my sorrows all night. "I guess," I replied.
We didn't want to disturb Michael beside us, who was still emitting soft snores. Gabriel shifted carefully out from under me and pressed his lips to my neck. That was good. I didn't want the emotional connection of kisses.
"Fast and dirty," I whispered.
He looked up at me in surprise, but then nodded. Rising higher, he pushed his boxers down, then yanked up my nightgown. I shimmied out of my panties and seconds later, Gabriel slipped into me, filling me fast. He pressed deep, and I sighed as my mind and body focused on the feeling of him inside me instead of the pit of despair I'd been circling.
Michael snorted and rolled over, and we froze. He'd been exhausted. I didn't want to exclude him, but he needed to rest.
Gabriel moved slowly until we were sure Michael was out cold, then hiked my legs up over his arms. The angle was exquisite, and I nearly cried out as Gabe found his pace. He angled his hips so that his head plowed into my g-spot, then slid further in with every thrust. He brought me closer and closer to my peak with every powerful thrust. I bit my tongue as the urge to scream tried to break through. My pleasure was almost too strong.
Gabriel balanced himself on one arm and put his hand over my mouth with the other. Lowering himself a bit to clutch my shoulder as he thrust.
As my orgasm washed over me, I couldn't help a few involuntary cries, but his hand absorbed most of them.
I pushed at his chest until he paused letting me catch my breath. He pulled out and stood at the side of the bed, waiting quietly for my next command. I stood beside him and pointed to the bed. "Lay down," I whispered.
He grinned and carefully positioned himself so I could climb onto him.
Sinking down onto his hard dick sent jolts of pleasure up my abdomen. I placed my hands on his chest, adjusting myself so I could rock back and forth, controlling how deep and fast we were going.
Another orgasm built, a little slower this time, but also more relaxing. The first had been hard and intense. I rode this one out as I moved, letting it wash over my body like a warm bath, relaxing me and releasing hormones that would help me get through the night.
I kept going, enjoying the pleasure of Gabriel’s dick until he found his release. He grunted, then grasped my hips to keep me still. With two sharp thrusts, he pushed in deep and sucked in harsh breaths through his nose.
When I was sure he was done, I climbed off and went to the bathroom for a quick cleanup. Slipping my panties on and letting my gown drop, I found my place on the bed between Michael and Gabriel, with my head on Gabriel’s chest.
2
Michael was asleep on one side and Gabriel on the other. I didn't move out of fear of waking either of them and soon I drifted off.
Lucifer woke all of us some time later. "Get up," he said. "It's time to think about a spell."
Michael wiped his eyes groggily. "Easier said than done," he said. His voice croaked with sleep.
"Yeah, usually only Raphael has access to relics like that," Gabriel said. I hadn't moved from my spot-on Gabriel’s chest and enjoyed the rumble of his words in my ear.
"Ariel is the blood of the two most powerful Fallen in creation," Lucifer said. "There must be a blood spell we can use."
"Those witches don't like helping us," Michael said. The bed creaked and shifted, as he moved to get up.. With a sigh, I rolled over and sat up. "I'm taking a shower," Michael said and headed for our bathroom.
Lucifer raised his eyebrow at his friend but didn't comment. Michael knew our home was his, always. Luc turned his gaze to Gabriel. "Come downstairs when you're cleaned up, too. I'll make you both something to eat."
H
e sent me a look I couldn't decipher and went downstairs. Gabriel sighed and pulled me closer. "How's he been?"
"Pretty bad," I admitted. "He's harsh. I think his power is causing him to feel moments of extreme rage."
Gabriel rubbed my back idly. "He's right. We need to go to more extreme measures. I'm not sure Raphael is in this realm anymore."
I turned my head looking at him in confusion. "What do you mean? He can't get into Abaddon, and you would've been able to find him easily in heaven, right?"
"Exactly. We would've found him in Heaven in an instant. And we've combed earth. I don't think he's here." He sighed. "Heaven has been in an uproar because we can't find him."
"I agree," Michael called from the bathroom. I hadn't even noticed the shower had shut off. "But Archangels doing a spell is foolhardy at best." He opened the door and a cloud of steam and yummy body wash smells came out.
Gabriel got up to shower while Michael rustled through Lucifer's drawers for clothes. "Can you stay long enough for me to wash your clothes?" I asked.
"Depends on what Luc wants to do about a spell." He shrugged and put on a pair of Luc's flannel pajama pants. "Not that there are a lot of options," he muttered.
With a sigh, I rolled out of bed. I still had on my nightgown, but I'd at least taken a shower this morning. Nothing seemed important except worrying about Ariel, but I was pretty sure I'd started to smell, so I'd forced myself into a shower.
Michael followed me downstairs where Luc was working his way through a stack of grilled cheese. I was impressed he even knew how to make that. Lucian had been a good cook, but I was sure Lucifer could've counted on one hand the number of times he'd been in the kitchen.