I had hope.
Not the wishful thinking kind of hope, but the real deal. I knew it wasn’t too late. Zayne had endless opportunity to kill me. From the moment he arrived, right up until he took off like a rocket an hour or so ago, he could’ve done serious damage to me. And if he wanted me dead, taking out that Ghoul hadn’t helped his cause.
Then again, the whole “I should be the one who kills you” thing didn’t bring the warm and fuzzies, but maybe when he tossed Dez and I, it hadn’t been a coincidence that I ended up in a much softer area. Or that when he’d turned, he avoided knocking me out with those wings. It could’ve all been on an unconscious level, one he couldn’t understand in his present state.
And the man that he’d killed? The jury was still technically out on that. Before we left the park, Dez had found the man’s ID and had Gideon checking to see if he could dig up anything on the guy. If what Zayne had claimed was true, he hadn’t taken an innocent’s life. I could argue all day the semantics of whether any murder was justifiable, but it wasn’t like Wardens hadn’t taken out bad humans in the past who’d not only been assisting demons, but were actively committing horrendous deeds. So, No Regrets on that front for the time being.
What was important was that Zayne was still in there. I just needed to figure out how in the world I could pull this off.
I tugged the blanket up to my chin as I stared at the stars. Finding Zayne seemed damn near impossible. Was I going to need to put myself in harm’s way with a demon for him to show up again? I didn’t make a good damsel in distress, so I doubted that plan would work. Not only that, what if I ended up in Gabriel’s hands? Even if I figured out a way to lure Zayne back out into the open, how would I be able to use the Sword of Michael? Since he could sense me calling on my grace, there would be no element of surprise. I was going to have to fight him, and somehow gain the upper hand. I was going to need everything in me to pull that off. It would be like fighting Gabriel all over again, and I knew how that had ended.
I wished I could find something that not only brought him to me but knocked him unconscious.
I sighed. I knew wishes on stars weren’t answered, but I was willing to try—
My eyes widened. It was then, as I stared up at the softly glowing Constellation of Zayne, that my wish was granted in the form of an idea.
There was one person that I had a feeling could get Zayne to come to me, whether he wanted to or not. And if anyone knew how to incapacitate a fallen angel, it would have to be her.
The Crone.
* * *
There was no way I could sleep after discovering what I hoped was a way to get Zayne where I needed him.
Energized, I swung my legs off the bed and turned on the bedside lamp. The only problem was that I had no idea where that hotel had been that Roth had taken me to when we’d met the witches. It wasn’t like I’d been able to see any of the street signs or had the foresight to ask directions. There was also a chance that the Crone had already left the city, like the rest of the coven had. Well, the ones who were still alive.
Wasn’t like I could ask Roth or Layla since I figured Hell didn’t have cell phone coverage. Gideon probably could find its location, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to put what was left of the coven on the Wardens’ radar. Sure, they had bigger problems right now. We all did, but witches were definitely on the to-kill Warden list. Some of them, namely Faye, had deserved it after providing a spell to the senator that basically turned humans into cannon fodder, but not all witches did.
Just ones who wanted to use parts of my body.
But there could be a chance that after everything, if there was an after, the Wardens could go after the witches. As bad as I needed to know that information, I couldn’t do that.
However, I did know a certain demon who wasn’t returning my calls who had showed up at the hotel to break the contract that freed Bambi.
Realizing I’d left my phone in the kitchen, I rose and went to the door, opening it.
The explosion of tingles along the base of my skull was sudden and sharp. My hand went to my thigh, only to discover that I didn’t have my iron daggers with me. They were on the dresser? Nope. The bathroom counter. Dammit.
But I had my grace. It pulsed in my chest, not as intensely as usual. I needed rest and time, but neither thing was going to happen.
The open space in the narrow hallway warped. Really hoping this wasn’t another creepy Ghoul and trying not to be freaked out by the implications that a demon was about to pop itself into the apartment, I tapped into the grace.
A second later, a dark-haired demon stood in front of me. Relief swept through me as I recognized Cayman.
I pulled the grace back in. “I was this close to killing you. How did you get in here?”
“Since I’ve been invited in, I can come here whenever I please.” He dropped the bomb of information like it was nothing, knocking windswept hair back from his face. “And yes, before you ask, that’s where the vampire mythos came from. Needing to be allowed in to enter. And no, vampires aren’t real. Demons are.”
I hadn’t been planning to ask about the whole vampire thing, and I also didn’t remember either Zayne or me inviting him in here at any point. I also superdoubted Zayne would be pleased to learn this, but at the moment, it didn’t matter. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Have you? Well, you see, I’ve been busy running around the entire damn city, getting all the Fiends out while trying to stay alive,” he told me, and come to mention it, he did look a little frazzled. He was normally quite polished, but the black shirt featuring the band BTS was wrinkled and torn at the collar, and I had no idea if the hole in the knee of his jeans was a fashion statement or not.
“That’s why I didn’t sense any demons tonight. Why?” I asked, wondering what else could possibly be going wrong. “What’s happening?”
“What’s happening?” His dark brows climbed up his forehead. “Are you serious right now? As if you don’t know?” He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of...burned wood? And his eyes, normally a golden hue, were now like heated coal. “What did you do, Trinity?”
I frowned. “Uh, yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything, and yet, here you are, in my personal space. Do I need to remind you that you’re afraid of me?”
“Yeah, you were one of the baddest creatures walking these streets and I was afraid of you, but that was until I met a certain freaking fallen angel rocking a Heaven ton worth of grace who apparently has amnesia and a sudden, extreme dislike of all demons.”
“Oh,” I whispered, tensing. “You’re talking about Zayne.”
“Oh? Oh? That’s all you have to say? Yes! I’m talking about Zayne, who just happens to be a very, very powerful fallen freaking angel, in case you didn’t hear me the first time around.”
“I did hear you. That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. I had no idea he was going to go after you or any demon, but I tried to give you a heads-up. You didn’t answer.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like to talk on phones.”
“I texted you!” I shot back. “And I quote, ‘I need to talk to you. It’s important.’”
“And as I said, I was kind of busy trying to stay alive.”
I crossed my arms. “And how was I supposed to know that?”
“Did it occur to you to leave a message that said, ‘Hey, my favorite demon broker, Zayne is back. He’s a Fallen, so you better run for the freaking hills’?”
“I didn’t think that was something I should text or leave as a voice mail considering no one has believed me when I first told them that,” I reasoned. “And I had no idea he would go after any demon.”
“Of course he’ll go after demons!” he said like it was something I should’ve already known. “He’s obviously a recent Fallen. They go after any and everything t
hat has an ounce of power in them, and they especially hate demons. It takes decades for them to get over the whole ‘I’m still better than you lowly demons’ attitude, which, hello, where do you think the Wardens got that from? Which is why not many of them joined Team Hell.”
“Wait.” I stared up at the demon. “You knew what the Wardens originally were?”
“Duh, Trinity. Duh.” He turned and walked into the kitchen. As he went, the lights turned on. “Running for your life works up an appetite, so I’m starving.”
“How in the world did both you and Roth know this and manage to keep your mouths relatively shut?” I trailed after him. “How have demons not been shouting this from the rooftops?”
“Not every demon knows this.” Cayman lifted his hand, and a box of Cheez-It Snack Mix flew across the room to his hand.
Man, I so wanted that talent.
“Only the oldest and the most connected with the Boss are aware of the true origins of the Warden. Shouting it from the rooftops would defeat that pesky blind faith thing, wouldn’t it? That would tick off the One up there and the one down below. No one has time for that.” He peeled open the box as he plopped down onto the couch. “And whatever Wardens have figured out their origins would go to their graves before admitting that they come from those who Fell,” he said, repeating nearly the same thing the Throne had. “It was the Wardens who rewrote what became of the fallen angels. They killed their own dirty little secret.”
“Okay. Great. You know all about the fallen angels, but you’re still wrong.” I dropped into the corner of the couch. “I didn’t do anything. Zayne chose to Fall.”
Cayman turned his head toward mine, and I wished I could tell if his eyes had lost the reddish black hue. “Do tell?”
I told.
I told Cayman all I knew, right up until moments earlier, when I realized that the Crone could be of help. “So, do you think what the Throne said was true? That my grace won’t kill Zayne but bring him back?”
“Honest? I have no idea,” he admitted, setting the empty box down on the counter. How he’d eaten the whole box of cheesy crackers was something I could relate to. “I’ve never known a Fallen to become anything other than a Warden or a really big player down below. And the ones who are on my team? Those who made it into Hell with their wings and grace still intact didn’t keep them long. Our Boss is not dumb enough to allow something nearly as powerful as Him to be occupying the same 666 area code. He stripped their wings, therefore taking their grace. Even then, those Fallen are still hella powerful. Not even Roth wants to mess with one of them. Lucky for him and all of us, they take way too much pleasure in their jobs.”
“Fallen angels in Hell have jobs?” I asked.
“Everyone has a job, Trin the Trueborn. We call them Judges. They spend their time making sure really bad people spend eternity wishing they had made better life choices,” he said. “But the thing is, no angels have Fallen in a hella long time, like not since the Byzantine Empire kind of long time, and there’s Layla. She’s the closest thing to a Fallen, but not really.”
“Huh? I thought she was part Warden and demon?”
“She is and she’s not. Long story short, she was given the blood of one of the originals—you know, one of the very first of the angels to Fall. So was her mother, but again, she’s not a true Fallen. Neither is Lilith.”
I had not known that, and I felt like there was a whole lot of story there.
“Anyway, it’s not like I’m an expert on what is possible for a recently Fallen who has their wings and grace, so I can’t say if that Throne is telling the truth or not. I trust angels less than I do most demons, but I mean, it’s sort of sweet.”
My gaze flipped to him.
“That he Fell for you. That is...that is heavy, girl. The real deal kind of love. You know Roth went against the Boss’s orders to be with Layla.” He tipped forward. “That’s like tantamount to angel falling, and that’s real, deep love he has for you.”
“I know,” I whispered, sinking into the cushions of the couch.
“And call me a silly romantic demon, but I’ve got to believe anything is possible with that kind of love.” Leaning back, he rested his ankle on his knee.
“I believe that, too.” And I had to. I blew out a tired breath. “Did Zayne kill any demons?”
“Yeah. A couple. Okay, more than a couple. Took out a whole house of them to be honest,” he answered.
“Oh, no.” I rubbed my hand down my face.
Cayman chuckled. “Look at you, feeling bad for dead demons. You make a shit Trueborn, you know?”
“I know, but Zayne wasn’t all about killing...well, not-really-evil demons.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s a progressive Warden,” he said, and I dropped my hand. “Or was. Anyway, don’t worry. They weren’t ‘not all that evil’ demons. He got some who had it coming to them. Ones that were getting sloppy, blurring the rules. The ones in the house were nothing more than a pack of Ravers.”
“You could’ve started with that, you know?” Ravers were like giant, walking-on-two-legs rat demons that ate everything, including people...and their bones.
“And you could’ve started with ‘my boyfriend is now a fallen angel,’” he replied, and I thought I saw a smile on his face. “So, I guess we’re even.”
“I guess so. I’m sorry that he was chasing you,” I offered. “I really do mean that.”
“I know you do. And I don’t take it personal.” He paused. “And it was kind of hot.”
My gaze shifted over to him as my brows lifted.
“What? Fallen angel Zayne tops the hotness meter. I can’t help it.” He shrugged. “I’m a demon.”
“I’m sure Zayne would be happy to hear that he hasn’t lost you as his number one fan,” I said wryly.
“Oh, I’m not his number one fan. That’s Bambi.”
“What?” I held up my hand. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I don’t have the brain space to deal with hearing about that.”
Cayman giggled, and it was as creepy as I imagined a demon giggling would be. “By the way, has he come here since he Fell? If so, I love chatting with you, but I’m going to have to bounce out of here like a rubber ball.”
“He hasn’t yet. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t remember where he lives or if he’s avoiding the apartment.”
“Either way, I’m counting that as a bonus.” He rested an arm on the back of the couch. “And you should, too.”
I would, except Zayne coming here would make finding him a lot easier. Wouldn’t help in the catching him off guard department, though. “So, do you know if the Crone is still at that hotel?” I got us back on track, and it was weird to be the person doing that when I was usually the one veering everyone off track. “And can you tell me where the hotel is?”
“I can take you to the hotel, but I have no idea if the Crone is still around and you’re on your own once you get there,” he added. “I think you’re a cool little half angel, but I don’t mess with the witches unless I’m summoned to broker a deal. I don’t want to inadvertently tick one of them off and end with unmentionable parts of me that I’m fond of falling off or something equally terrible.”
“Understandable.”
“And before you demand that I take you there right now or when the sun comes up, you definitely won’t find the Crone up at this time or anywhere but with her family on Sunday.”
I hadn’t even realized tomorrow was Sunday. Or today. Whatever. “Witches recognize Sunday as a day of rest?”
“That they do. So do some demons.”
All righty, then.
“Your best bet is to try Monday afternoon.” Kicking his feet up on the coffee table, he lifted his hand. The remote flung itself to him. “Get some rest. I’ll hold down the fort.”
Even though sleep seemed like the last thing I’d be
able to do, I needed the rest, but Cayman couldn’t stay here.
“You should leave,” I told him.
Cayman arched a brow. “That’s rude.”
“It’s not that I don’t want you here. It’s just not safe for you,” I reasoned. “Zayne hasn’t come here yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. Even you were worried about that, and if I’m asleep and he comes, you’re dead.”
“And if you’re asleep and he comes, you’re dead,” he pointed out.
“He hasn’t killed me yet and he’s had plenty of opportunity. I don’t think he’s going to come here, but if you’re here, I’m not going to get any rest worrying about you getting murdered while I’m getting my beauty sleep,” I replied. “You do have someplace to go, right?”
He nodded. “I have places that Zayne hasn’t been to.”
“Then go there. I’ll text you in the morning.”
Cayman studied me for a moment. “Does this mean you like me? Care for me? Going to name any future babies after me?”
I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“But you do like me.” He pointed the remote at me and then him. “A wee little Trueborn cares about the safety of a demon. The world is surely going to end.”
“Whatever.” I grinned. “Get out of my house.”
“It’s an apartment.”
“Shut up.”
Cayman laughed as he rose from the couch. “I’m not going to lie. I’d rather be far away from wherever the Fallen-but-superhot Zayne will be, so try not to get killed between now and tomorrow.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“See you later, home skillet.” Cayman flashed the peace sign and then did the demon pop thing when he simply disappeared.
I really envied that.
Making sure the door was locked, I shuffled back to bed, and the moment my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.
Grace and Glory Page 9