No. Lazarus never mentioned it and Michael hadn’t suspected that animal-loving, snake charming bitch to have had the power to make such a fucking mess. But…
Ohhhh fuuuuck.
Michael closed his eyes and let the disappointment and disgust wash through him. He’d assumed Eve was nothing more than a female. Yet, as he stood before one of the most cunning, sadistic, cruel females known to walk the lands…. He should have known better with Eve.
The prettiest creatures were always the deadliest.
“Ignorance should be painful.” Merri practically purred. Those words cut deeper than any sword ever could.
“Fuck off, Merri.”
She snapped her fingers, “Lilith, get over here.”
Michael gripped Lilith’s arms to keep her right where she fucking was. “She’s of no use to you. She’s un-pure in every way.”
Yeah, that look in Merri’s eyes showed she understood what Michael meant. He used Lilith up and spit her out for so many years, he’d lost count. And recently he’d done even worse to her.
Merri curled her fingers like she was holding two invisible balls. Channeling her energy, she pinned Michael with a glare that burned right through him and straight into Lilith who started shrieking and thrashing behind Michael.
He spun around and watched his precious gift drop to the ground – her limbs contorting and bending as she sucked in another breath to scream with. Blood oozed from her eyes, ears, and mouth. Blood pooled from the joining of her thighs, staining the clothing Michael had given her.
He was half-fascinated, half-infuriated.
Did he want her to be purified? No, but he wasn’t going to stop it. Funny, that he should be so obsessed with perfection and the one thing he actually had an ounce of feelings for was the furthest thing from perfect… because of him. Michael was so fucked up over it, he stepped away and let Lilith go.
She could suffer for both of them because it was her fault Michael developed an attachment to her.
“Please!” Lilith sputtered, “Stop!” Her red blood turned black and thick as it oozed out of every hole in her body – including her pores. Michael took another step back so he didn’t get any of her mess on his boots. And as Lilith continued to writhe in agony, Michael rethought his intentions.
Maybe he and Merri could work together. If what she said was true, then finding Eve and destroying her would solve one of the many problems in this world.
No Eve meant no souls. No souls meant less contamination. Less contamination meant killing off all the humans, which would leave no negative energy. No negative energy meant the world could be cleansed and purified swiftly.
And perfection would be all that would remain.
Shit, yeah, this could work! No more souls. No more humans. No more living. It would be just the Angels who existed… just like the old days before everything went to shit.
And then, Michael would find his salvation…
Sorry, Lilith, he thought coldly. If he had to choose between himself and anyone else – including her – Michael would always choose himself.
For no one else ever had, and he still suffered daily because of that.
Chapter 45
One minute, Eve was helping Lucifer and the next, she was in the worst pain of her life. What started as dizziness and nausea grew into a firestorm of pure agony.
Then it got so much worse.
Her body was under attack – invisible forces were at war, lancing and stabbing, splitting and exploding her Divine Light. Robbed of breath and sight, Eve plunged into darkness and couldn’t even scream. A fresh wave of unbelievable agony tore through her. Eve thought for sure this was the end.
I’m going to die.
“What can we do to help?” Lucifer’s voice boomed in her head.
Yes, help me! She wanted to beg, but had no voice. No breath. No nothing but pain, pain, P-A-I-N!
“Maybe you aren’t meant to help. Only understand,” said Lazarus.
“That makes no sense!” argued Uriel.
“Some things are to be understood, not dealt with.”
“She’s dying!”
Eve could do nothing but writhe and beg silently for help that wasn’t going to come. She was alone with this – her penance for what she’d done. The cursed mark upon her back burned - a searing, scorching reminder that she’d done this to herself. Whatever this pain was, she earned it somehow. Done something to deserve it.
And she could think of two things in the past day to warrant this punishment – Lucifer and Uriel.
Was this the consequence of her worshiping their bodies and taking pleasure from them? That didn’t even seem fair. No, this was because of something else.
Eve’s tongue felt fat in her mouth. Still blind, she couldn’t sense anyone around her. She was very much alone in this suffering. And not for the first time.
“Lucifer!” she tried to call out. What on earth did she expect him to do? He couldn’t reach into her and fix this. And it wasn’t fair for her to ask him to rescue her and make her better.
This was all her fault. She needed to walk in this dark place alone.
And if this was how she died, so be it. At least Eve could say she lived with no regrets. From pushing back when things weren’t right in the Purity sect, to breathing life into that human babe… all the way to her bonding with Lucifer in his cage and falling in love with Angels she’d run off with - Eve wouldn’t change a single thing. Her only remorse was not having the capacity to cheat death a little longer so she could tell her males she loved them.
Lucy, she wanted to say. Go get the others. Be with them. Stick with them.
Maybe she was never meant to be in the war between them and Michael. Perhaps her part of fate’s plan was to get the four Angels together and free Lazarus and now that her job was done, she could go off to wherever the dead Angels go.
Sweet Light, she wished she could see Constantine and Gabriel one last time. Whatever was keeping those two must be a force of profound strength, because they hadn’t returned yet. Were they okay? Were they even alive right now?
A douse of grief replaced the pain in her bones. To think Gabriel and Constantine might be dead was a blow to her heart. They were good males. Righteous Angels who did not belong in the Brotherhood of Angels. They belonged in a place far more superior – if there even was such a sect.
Holy Divine Light, Eve’s belly roiled and she sputtered her prayers with no chance of her words finding a voice. Her mouth moved and she fought to get out everything she wanted to say even if it was with her last ragged breath.
She wasn’t going to love Lucifer longer. She wasn’t going to kiss Uriel again. She wasn’t going to feel Gabriel’s arms embrace her… and she wasn’t going to bask in delight as Constantine stared at her with the power of a thousand suns warming her spirit ever again.
Lazarus wasn’t even a blip on her radar. All she could do was think of the four Angels who were her North, South, East, and West, and knew damn well that when her soul lifted, she’d be lost without them…
Lucifer gripped the sides of his head and stared at Eve with enough intensity to burn the cottage to the ground. His flames surrounded her, licking up the walls and scorching the bed she was sprawled upon. Her words were rushed, whimpering prayers as sweat and tears poured down her sweet face.
She wasn’t praying for herself. That’s what had him so knotted up.
She was praying for him… and for Uriel, Con, and Gabriel. She was telling them to find each other and stick together. She was begging for them to never separate. She was telling them to not forget how far they’ve come together in such a short amount of time.
Then her words died on her lips and Lucifer’s heart stopped beating. He didn’t drag his gaze away from her while he asked Lazarus, “Is she dying?”
“Not today,” the Golden fucker said.
That should have made Lucifer feel relieved but it didn’t. Not today. But someday she would. The thought of there never being a
n Eve was a blow to his soul. He wanted her to live forever and for him to be right beside her in this life and all others.
Fucking fuck! How could a bond this strong have formed over such a short time? From the day she was locked in the cage with him, to the moment their bodies joined carnally, Lucifer’s fate was sealed to hers. If Eve died, he’d follow her into the beyond. If she lived, he’d stay by her side forever.
And if she wanted the others there too, so fucking be it. Lucifer knew that somehow, at some point, each of them had bonded with Eve in strange ways. It took seeing her suffer for him to realize what was important in this world and what really didn’t fucking matter.
Eve. Mattered.
She thought she was dying. It was in the tears sliding down her face. In the grief she gasped between her prayers. And it was laced in her pleading tone as she spoke to each of them with her eyes squeezed shut and hands clutching her feathers with white-knuckle fever.
Her suffering lasted over an hour at this intensity. Mid-way through, Uriel could no longer bare to watch and had stepped outside. Lazarus sat in the one and only chair by the table with his feet up and arms crossed over his chest. Lucifer wanted to beat the shit out of him when the fucker wouldn’t answer any of their questions. But he bottled his wrath and calmed the fuck down because ultimately that would do nothing to help Eve.
“I want to take this pain from her,” Lucifer whispered.
“It is hers to bear. Not yours.”
“I feel like I’ve done this to her. Like somehow this is my fault.”
“She’s blended,” Lazarus stood and plucked a feather from his wings. Twirling it in his hand he said, “She is blended and bound.”
Laz said shit like this before and right now Lucifer needed desperately to understand what it meant. “Explain this to me better.”
“Her gift to the world was Spirit.” Laz kneeled down and grabbed Eve’s hand – prying her fingers open while she whimpered with her eyes still closed. “She is in everything now.”
Lucifer shook his head. He couldn’t quite grasp this at all. “Her spirit… her soul… went into that babe?”
“In one breath, her energy went into every being created. Her wildness, her compassion, her fierceness, her rebellion…”
Lucifer rocked back on his haunches. “What happens now?”
“Souls will remain as energy, unless it’s snuffed out or harnessed.”
Now Luce was going to puke. “You mean to tell me that the evil spirits attacking the other ones had Eve’s energy in them?”
That couldn’t be right. Eve was good and pure and lovely. Those evil things were the complete opposite of her.
“I’m saying what I said to you before. She is blended and bound. We are all of us good and bad, Lucifer. Eve is the same as the rest. Evil, should you allow it, will take over. Just as goodness can.”
Swiping a hand across his mouth, he stared at Eve’s pale face and sweat-soaked hair. “I’ve hurt her. When I destroyed those souls…. I destroyed part of her energy, didn’t I?”
Lazarus lifted Eve’s torso and her head lolled to the side, “Up we go, Flower. Time to rise.”
Lucifer’s heart slammed in his chest, “Can she die from what I’ve done?”
“Do you plan to do it again?”
“No,” Lucifer growled. “Never.” Not now that he knew the consequences of such actions. “But we can’t just let those things run wild. They’re dangerous.”
Laz’s silver gaze cut to him, “You volunteering to protect the world from those kinds of attacks?”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure what he was volunteering for.
“Maybe you should think about it, Lucy. Your emotions are running wild right now. Focus on what you have in front of you.”
Eve was the only thing in front of him. She needed them, and… damn his soul… Lucifer needed her too. His instincts demanded he always be with her. He slid his hand over hers and gently squeezed while Lazarus supported her back and held her up right. They caged her in a warm embrace and Lucifer’s fires died down and snuffed out.
“Rise, Eve. You’re strong, Flower. You can do this.”
Fuck right she was strong. She single-handedly bestowed divine energy to mankind. How incredible was that? Pride swelled in Lucifer’s chest. Eve was remarkable. So innocent and fierce. So loving and wild. Heat bloomed in his chest and spread throughout his body. He wanted to give her a piece of him – his strength, his heart, his very divine light.
He’d give her his last breath if she wanted it. Breathing was secondary to loving her at this point.
The door slammed shut behind them. Uriel re-entered the cottage and Lucifer growled, “Never abandon her again.”
“We won’t.”
Luce turned to see Uriel, Constantine, and Gabriel all standing there with blades drawn and hate in their eyes. He wanted to jump up and throat punch each of them and didn’t even know why. He let out a possessive growl and then swallowed the rest of his emotions because he knew they weren’t a threat. And, just like they could read his mind, they put away their weapons and approached the bed slowly.
“Ahhhh Flower, there you are.”
Lucifer looked over to see Eve’s eyes flutter open. She sputtered a cough and sucked in a ragged breath. Luce held her hand tighter, pushing some of his energy into her. She gave a sharp inhale. Wincing she said, “That burns.” When he tried to pull away, Eve latched onto his wrist. “Don’t let me go,” she rasped. “Not yet.”
“Not ever.” He bowed his head and closed his eyes, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Not by killing the souls and not with his energy push.
Damn, was he meant to hold this much power in forever and never be able to share it with others? That felt wrong. Isolating, frustrating, and fucked up. Lucifer wished he could share all he had with those he loved. His hands may be empty, but his heart was full.
If Lucifer was the dark, vast, endless sky, Eve was the star that glowed brightest in his universe. This was his wake-up call. I will protect what I have – Eve and the others in this room. Always.
“What happened?” Constantine’s soft tone snapped Lucifer out of his thoughts.
“I destroyed a flock of souls that tried to attack us and she suffered for it.”
There were various degrees of snarls and grunts then Gabriel asked, “How many? How many did you take out, Lucifer?”
“I don’t know. Ten, twenty?” It was hard to say with the wrath that rode him hard in the midst of that shitshow. He hadn’t been counting, just killing. Protecting.
“Would that have been enough to cause this much harm to her, Lazarus?” Gabriel asked, only he was much closer now. Dropping down to his knees, Gabriel placed his hand over Eve’s shoulder. His features softened slightly when the two stared at each other. It might have been one of the few times Gabriel didn’t look so angry. Short-lived though, “Would that have been enough?” he repeated in a vicious growl.
“Maybe,” Lazarus answered.
Gabriel’s brow pinched. “What did it feel like, Eve?”
“It felt… terrible. Like everything inside me was exploding and melting. Burning and freezing. My bones ached.”
“Did it come on quick or slow?” Con asked next.
“Slow, I think. I don’t know.” Eve worried her bottom lip, “I was dizzy first, then felt nauseous, and then…” she made a little explosion gesture and noise. “It was like the day the comets crashed into the earth and nothing was left of that piece of land in the human realm. Remember that day? When the world blew apart in total fire and destruction? That’s what this felt like.”
Lucifer wanted to scream. He’d done that. He’d caused her such extreme pain, she didn’t even have a word for it. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“We felt something similar,” Constantine admitted. “Not the pain… but the dizziness and nausea.”
“And you think it’s related?” Eve’s eyes held so much sorrow and guilt, Lucifer and Gabriel both lo
oked away from her… and stared right at each other.
“The timing would fit, I think. And Angels are connected. Everything we do, we have an effect on each other and the rest of mankind.”
“Our collective energy,” Lazarus said, “will have a lasting, rippling effect if more souls are destroyed.”
“Shit,” Constantine’s tensed. “It’s going to happen again.”
Eve’s eyes grew wider, “What do you mean?”
“No, it’s not,” Lucifer growled. “I’m never going to do that again, Eve. I swear it.”
“It’s not because of you, Lucifer,” Constantine snapped his black wings tight to his back. “Michael’s ordered for entire territories of mankind to be wiped out right now. The Scourge is involved as well.”
“But souls can walk around just fine without it impacting me,” Eve’s voice was still scratchy from all her screaming earlier. “Killing humans doesn’t affect me. I’m fine so long as their spirit isn’t annihilated,” her gaze flicked to Lazarus, “Right?”
His right eye twitched, “Perhaps.”
“Perhaps?” Lucifer growled. “You are the All-Knowing Angel and you give us ‘perhaps’? It’s a yes or a no answer.”
“Nothing is for certain until it is.”
Uriel stormed over and knocked the golden feather out of Laz’s hand. “Cut the shit! Tell us what could happen to her. What could happen to all of us!”
“I cannot say,” Laz calmly bent down and picked the feather back up and started twirling it again. “It’s not up to me to say what the future is.”
“But you know, don’t you?”
“I know what I know, and that’s all.”
“Damnit!” Uriel shoved Lazarus backward and slammed him against the wall.
“Stop it!” Eve cried. “Leave him be!”
“He knows and he’s not willing to tell us!”
“Get off him, Uriel,” Constantine grabbed Uri’s shoulders and pried him off of Lazarus. “You know he can’t help what he can’t help.”
“You sound just like him,” Uri snarled.
“I understand him, is all.”
Raise Hell Page 30